Susan Pavlakis

Susan S. Pavlakis, age 71, passed away on August 3, 2022. She took her own life after a period of severe mental distress that included two hospitalizations and releases. A memorial service will be held at a later date. She is survived by her husband George N. Pavlakis and son Gregory A. Pavlakis, and brother Alan Shaw and his wife Linda. Other surviving relatives include a niece Sarah Shaw, several cousins and an aunt, and her brother-in-law Gregory S. Pavlakis She was born in Clinton, Iowa, on November 23, 1952 daughter of the late Ben and Harriet Shaw. Educated in the Iowa school system, she graduated from Coe College, Iowa City IA in 1975. She moved to the Chicago IL area to work at an internship. In 1981 she met and married her husband George. Then in 1983 received her MBA degree from DePaul University, Chicago IL and gave birth to her son Gregory in 1983. She worked as an IT professional for many years and later in later in life after she retired developed a passion for the environment. Susan loved bike riding and kayaking, and combined her kayaking and love for the environment by volunteering her time to do lake and stream cleanup at various parks for Jackson County MO. She won several awards from the County for her time and effort. As her mental illness progressed she mostly stopped her volunteer work to focus on recovering from her mental illness. Donations can be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAOMI).