Luisa Marie (Bilbao) Sudderth

In Loving Memory

Luisa Marie (Bilbao) Sudderth

AUG 29 1945-FEB 03 2025

Luisa Marie (Bilbao) Sudderth, age 79, passed away on Monday, February 3, 2025 in Sherman, Tx in the presence of family.

She was born on August 29, 1945 to her parents: Pedro (Peter) Bilbao and Catherine (Kate) Pettinelli Bilbao in Rome, New York.

They both preceded her in death. Luisa has two sisters: Ann Marie Ballard and Elena Marie Lupino. She also has a cousin, Mike Passacantando, who was more of a brother to her. They will miss her very much in the coming days.

Growing up in Rome, New York, Luisa enjoyed a lot of things with her sisters, cousins, and friends. Her favorite things were singing at weddings and talent shows with her sisters. They were known as “The Bilbao Girls”, and they cut a record back in the ‘50’s with an acapella version of “We are the Bilbao Girls”. Luisa also enjoyed dancing and going to all of the block dances. She later in life taught her daughter Sheri, her friends, and her granddaughters 50’s dances like the twist and the pony.  In high school at Rome Free Academy, Luisa excelled in mathematics, so she was trained in bookkeeping. She worked for an insurance company when she graduated. Luisa also went to St. John’s Catholic Church in Rome, New York. This is where she developed a relationship with God, and it started at a very young age.

Luisa met and married Joe T. Sudderth on August 8, 1964. They moved to Leonard, Texas. She worked at the Grill 69 where she learned how to bake homemade pies and many other things from our beloved Granny Roland.  Luisa will later want to be called “Granny” when she has grandchildren because of how much she loved her. Her next job was at the Jerry Boone Ford Dealership in Bonham, Tx doing bookkeeping. She kept this job until 1967 when she and Joe decided to start a family. She raised her children Brian, Sheri, and Wade until they left home and went to college. It was then that she got a job in McKinney for a Saddle company. She did not stop working there until the grandbabies started coming, and then she came back home to be a granny. 

She is known by friends and family for her delicious homemade pizza, waffles, chocolate chip cookies, and pies. She would have big pizza parties for each of her children’s classes when they graduated from 8th grade and just anytime she could throw a party. She would make waffles for the grandkids and for all of the other children that she helped to raise through the years. Our friends called her “Mama Lu” and all the kids she kept called her “Granny”. 

When she stopped keeping kids because they had all grown up, she would make her pies for the all school reunion auctions in Leonard. They would auction for over $500 almost every single time. 

She had a talent for keeping people full and happy, but most of all, she had a special way of making people feel loved. 

Luisa was a member of the St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Bonham, Tx.

Luisa will be remembered by her husband Joe Thomas Sudderth of Leonard, her children: Brian Thomas Sudderth and wife Rose of Leonard, Tx, Sheri Watson and husband James of Leonard, Tx, Wade Sudderth and wife Vicki Ramsey of Leonard, Tx.

Eleven grandchildren: Devon, David, Joe Mac, Amandal, Jade,

Logan, Payton, Preslie, Brendan, Blaise, and Brandt.

Ten great-grandchildren:  Averie, Case, Easton, Emory, Junior, Sophia, Liam, Mylo, Poppy, and Alana. 

She will be remembered by many more family and friends.

The family will receive friends at the Bishop Grahmann Center located across the street from the St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Bonham, Tx for a visitation at 11-11:45 am on Tuesday, February 11, 2025. The mass and memorial service will follow at 12 noon. Interment services will be at the Leonard Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the many doctors and nurses who were caring for Luisa these past few months:  Dr. Frame(ER), Dr. Howell(ER), Dr. Sani(Hospitalist), Dr. Warke(Hospitalist), Dr. Rathad(Wound care), Dr. Friedle(General Surgeon). The following nurses took care of Luisa and went above and beyond:  Debbie, Tabitha, Mikayla, David, Susan, and Shavawn. They are angels on earth. A special thank you goes to Joanna Whitlow for being Luisa and Joe’s caregiver during this time. Robin Kent was in her care for many years.

Mom always told us it is better to give people their flowers when they are on this earth. With that, she meant to say always be kind to others because you never know when it will be the last time. That being said, the church does not allow flowers to be sent. The family is asking instead if you would like to do something to please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s association or the Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church.

https://alzfdn.org/donate/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_W-P-KlE39yCZFWhEJ4MUfTrrkG&gclid=CjwKCAiAtYy9BhBcEiwANWQQL3Go6ppN_jbB3mtoRgfXh0_6zLZOYsF4aICsXhXQDsVOXA_xhYATHxoCUgMQAvD_BwE

https://www.se-bonham.com

https://www.deltafuneralhome.com

Visitation: Bishop Grahmann Center 11 am

Funeral Mass: Saint Elizabeth Church Bonham, TX 12 pm

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