Suzanne C. "Sue" Cole, 54, a resident of Lawrence for the past twenty-six years and a former resident of Lowell, died on Friday, March 27, 2015 at her home, following a long illness.

Born in Ridgewood, NJ, daughter of the late William and Ellen (Bradley) Cole, she was raised and educated in Chelmsford, graduating Chelmsford High School with the Class of 1979. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Spanish from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst and later her Master's Degree in Social Work from Boston University.

A Licensed Independent Social Worker, Sue was employed as a counselor in the Lawrence School System and later in the Lawrence Juvenile Court System, and finally for The Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Charities. An honest and trustworthy professional, Sue worked tirelessly to help people change their lives. She took many risks to help change the child welfare system for the betterment and safety of the children she so loyally served. Highly respected by judges and lawyers in the juvenile court system, Sue was frequently requested to manage the most difficult of cases. She always took her work very seriously and presented every detail to the courts to protect both the parents and children that she served. Her life stood for many things but near and dear to her was justice and equal rights for all, as she worked tirelessly for her clients, whom she recognized as equals.

In addition to her devotion to her work, Sue loved life, family, friends, the finest single malt scotch, Newfound Lake and the occasional and enjoyable trip to the casino.

She will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by her longtime life partner, Carol A. Sweeney of Lawrence, two brothers and sisters-in-law, Bruce W. and Lisa Cole of Gilford, NH and James B. and Kimberly Cole of Rochester, NH, also several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Sue's Life Celebration to be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 from 11a.m. to 1p.m. at Berube-Comeau Funeral Home, 47 Broadway, Haverhill. Her funeral service will follow at 1:30 in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the New England Chapter of the Scleroderma Foundation at SFNE, 462 Boston Street, Topsfield, MA 01983. To send a message of condolence to the family or to find directions to our home, please visit www.berubecomeau.com.