My mom died when I was 8. I only have a few years of memories with her, but I become more like her all the time.

Courtesy Isabella Ambrosio

Suzanne had one of those laughs — the loud, sometimes too loud, cackle that would send her into a fit of snorts and wheezes. And her loud laugh matched her larger-than-life personality that lit up a room with her warm heart and personality. She was passionate, in both what she loved and what she argued. She was intelligent and read faster than anyone I have ever known. And that intelligence carved out her witty sense of humor, "quick as a whip," as stated by a childhood friend.