Calling Hours for Carcieri to be Held Monday in East Greenwich
Monday, November 19, 2018
Calling hours will be held on Monday, November 19th for Suzanne Carcieri from 4 pm to 8 pm at the Hill Funeral Home, 822 Main St., East Greenwich.
Read the official obituary here.
May 6, 1942 – November 15, 2018
Suzanne Owren Carcieri, 76, of East Greenwich, former First Lady of Rhode Island, passed away on Thursday, November 15, 2018 surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of former Governor Donald L. Carcieri. They were married 53 years. Born in Providence, daughter of Ivar and Patricia Owren, she graduated from East Greenwich High School and was the first Miss East Greenwich and runner-up for Miss Rhode lsland in 1960. She attended the University of Rhode Island, where she received the university’s first Biology degree and was a proud member of Chi Omega Sorority. In her adulthood, she went on to receive a master’s degree in health education at Rhode Island College. She was a beloved middle-school teacher at both Immaculate Conception School and St.Joseph’s Teachers College in Kingston, Jamaica and at Our Lady of Mercy Parish School in East Greenwich. She was the First Lady of the State of Rhode Island from 2003 to 2011.
Besides her husband, she leaves her son Matthew Carcieri and his wife Kristin; daughter Alison Carcieri-Cassidy and her husband Scott; daughter Jill Buckley and her husband Chuck; daughter Sarah Compton and her husband Adam; and brothers Stephen Owren and wife Joan, John Owren and wife Gerry, and David Owren. She had fourteen grandchildren: Bridget and her husband Max, Samantha, Chase, Kayla, Anna, Jack, Charlie, Nick, Donovan, Benjamin, William, Colin, Henry, and Susannah.
She will long be remembered and adored for her love, kindness, generosity, intelligence, and wit. She was gracious to all, passionate in her advocacy, and deeply devoted to family and friends. She found pure joy surrounded by her grandchildren in the revelry of summertime fun and once said, “I really am mostly a mother, a grandmother and a wife.” She was a devout Roman Catholic and a member of Our Lady of Mercy Church and was dedicated to many causes, including Missionaries of the Poor and Mustard Seed Communities.
As First Lady, she led a statewide wellness initiative and convened a task force for the prevention of substance abuse. She created the annual “Governor’s Best” juried art show, conceived a popular intrastate tourism initiative (“Rhode Islanders Touring Rhode Island”) and inaugurated and chaired six “Celebrate Rhode Island” balls benefiting the Good Neighbor Energy Fund. She received honorary awards from her high school, college, and the American Heart Association. Throughout her life, she had a profound love for music and theater, which led her to participate in many productions with the Academy Players and even travel to Rome with the Our Lady of Mercy Choir to perform for Pope John Paul II.
A Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 am on Tuesday, November 20th at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 65 Third St., East Greenwich. Burial will be in St. Patrick Cemetery, East Greenwich. Calling hours will be held on Monday, November 19th from 4 pm to 8 pm at the Hill Funeral Home, 822 Main St., East Greenwich. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to Mustard Seed Communities USA or Lifespan
