Susan Rose Reilly, age 62 years, of Kingwood Township, NJ, died peacefully on Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at Hunterdon Medical Center, Raritan Township, NJ.

The following was composed by her loving husband, Rick:

Susan was born in Neptune, NJ on November 18, 1957 to Sophie Jasko and the late Peter Jasko, Jr.  In addition to her mother, Susan is survived by her loving husband and best friend, Richard C. Reilly, three loving dogs and a very affectionate cat, her sister Mary Jasko Loudin, her brother Peter Jasko III (Sonny), her Uncle Jack and Aunt Lydia, nephews David, Tim and Brian Jasko, many cousins, other nieces and nephews and her dear friend Susan Edwards.  In addition to her father, Susan was preceded in death by her Uncle Ben and many other aunts, uncles and cousins.

Susan Rose Jasko grew up what was rural Monroe Township just outside of Jamesburg, New Jersey in the 60’s and 70’s.   In her formative years, the family had many pets, but Susan had a great love for horses too, so she saved up her money and bought a horse while she was a teenager.  Her dear Uncle Ben helped her walk the horse home.  She formed a very special bond with Lady Capulet a Tennessee Walker-Appaloosa mix.  In addition to taking care of her horse, she loved fishing and searching for Native American artifacts with her father in nearby farm fields.  Her fascination with horse power continued as she got a bit older, she was especially proud of her Blue Oldsmobile 442.

Like many of us who were teenagers in the 1970’s Susan loved rock bands like the Stones, Steppenwolf and Alice Cooper.  She also loved Elvis and developed a fondness for many country music artists that would remain with her for a lifetime.  Being a Jersey girl, Sue loved the beach and often would go to the ocean with her grandmother.  As an aspiring artist, Sue developed a talent for drawing and painting and was hoping to go to Art School after she graduated from Jamesburg High School.  However, after graduation and a working at a few different jobs, Susan’s life took a different path when she moved to Georgia with a friend.

Once in Georgia, Sue made her home in Kennesaw, which was a small town out in the sticks north of Atlanta.  Then one day in August 1977, Susan went out to look at a litter of dogs at a nearby farm.  She found a handsome young pup and named him King in honor of Elvis who had just passed away.  While in Georgia, Susan first worked at a Burger King and worked her way up to being a supervisor before moving on to work in a chicken factory not far from home.  The work was hard, but the family owned plant offered good benefits which would later play a major role in saving her life.  Sue often told stories about her time at the plant, but the one she remembered most fondly, was a sizzling July afternoon when one of her coworkers exclaimed, as only a native Georgian could, “It’s hotter in here than a jackass in a pepper patch”.  Of course everyone cracked up!

Eventually Sue’s friend moved on and she was completely on her own.  Making ends meet in Georgia was not always easy with the expense of her modest house and car, food was sometimes scarce.  Kind neighbors would occasionally invite her over for dinner, which helped, but sometimes before payday the cupboards were bare.  One such day Sue only had an apple pie that someone had given her.  Of course she made sure she shared it with King.  Sue always made sure King and his kitty Puss Puss had enough to eat before she worried about herself.  As the years, passed Sue’s young life took a turn for the worse.  Not long after her cat fell ill and passed away, Sue developed Hodgkin’s Disease which very nearly took her life.  But with the good benefits from the chicken plant, she was able to begin dangerous radiation treatments for the disease.  She often said if she did not have King by her side, she would not have made it.  In the spring of 1981 Susan decided to pack up her belongings and her beloved King and move back home to Jersey for her remaining treatments.

After returning home to her family, Sue was able to finish her treatments and she received the wonderful news that she was completely cured so she could continue her young life.  In the summer of 1982, Susan’s life would take another important and long lasting turn.  One day in July a mutual friend Debbie set Sue up for a blind date with a man named Rick who worked for the State Department of Environmental Protection in Trenton.  Sue didn’t know much else about him but she knew if he didn’t like King, there would be no second date.  Late on that fateful afternoon, Sue waited in the backyard while her mother answered the door and let Rick in where he was greeted by King.  Now King didn’t like everyone he met, but Rick loved dogs and he was able to form an immediate bond with King.  As he went out the back door to meet Susie for the first time, King followed happily behind.  Rick was greeted with a glowing and approving smile from the young women sitting at a picnic table who would soon become the love of his life.

With King’s approval and Susie’s too, Susie and Rick dated and eventually spent all their weekends together.  In October of that year, they took their first trip together to Montego Bay in Jamaica, which was the first plane ride Rick ever took and the first time either of them had left the country.   They would return to Jamaica in 1983 but this time they stayed at an all-inclusive resort in Ocho Rios named Eden.  Lots of sun, good food, entertainment, Jamaican Rum punch, Red Stripe beer and other concoctions made for a fun visit.  Then on Christmas 1983, after getting permission from Sue’s dad, Rick gave Sue a very shiny present and asked her to marry him.  She said, “YES”!

The following year on September 22, 1984 Rick and Sue became husband and wife at a ceremony in Jamesburg attended by 100 or so of their closest family and friends.  A Jersey girl and a Maryland guy became Mr. & Mrs. Richard Reilly.  On their honeymoon, they enjoyed the trip of their lives, 15 days in Hawaii with a stopover in San Francisco.  First stop was Honolulu, followed by Maui & Kauai. On the way back they visited their friend Henry in San Francisco before going through Yosemite Park to Lake Tahoe and eventually winding up at the Ponderosa Ranch House. Unfortunately,  the Cartwrights were not home!

After returning home, Sue, Rick and King briefly lived in an apartment before buying their first starter home in Ewing, Township in 1986.  But before they moved, they were able to go to games 4 and 5 of the world series to cheer on the Orioles who beat the Phillies to become 1983 World Champions, and then in July 1985 they went to one of the biggest concerts ever, LIVE AID which was highlighted in Philadelphia by a not so perfect Led Zeppelin reunion.  But the fans did not care, they gave them a roaring 15-minute standing ovation which was only silenced by a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunion.

Even though their new home was close to Rick’s job at the DEP in Trenton, it was a small house on a small lot.  But it was their own house, with their own garage and a little yard out back.  Through the years, many animals called this house their home too.  Soon after they moved in they adopted a senior dog named Lady so King would have a friend to keep him company.  After King passed away, Sue saw an ad in the paper and she and Rick went off to Mercerville to buy a new pup from some college girls.  They named the Shepard-Lab mix Cal Ripken Jr. after their favorite Oriole. Not long after they adopted Cal’s sidekick Rinny, a Shepard-Beagle mix and a new miniature pot-bellied piglet named Phoebe.  Phoebe was so smart, she was house broken in just a few hours simply following Cal and Rinny out the back door as needed. Later Lady also passed away and then a new cat came into Sue and Rick’s life.  One day Sue dropped their car off for service and decided to walk home and she was followed by a little kitten.  Rick did not want a cat but he quickly fell for little Ernest when he got home from work.  Ernest rounded out these four musketeers made up of three species who truly loved each other. Cal sometimes loved Rinny a bit too much and loved to goose women too but we won’t go any further with that. Dogs will be dogs!  (see all 4 in Santa pic in gallery).

Shortly after getting Phoebe, Sue and Rick became founding members and officers of the Delaware Valley Pot Bellied Pig Association.  Together Rick and Sue published the club’s quarterly newsletter for several years and Susan was able to display her art skills by creating and self-publishing a coloring and activity book for children called Phoebe’s Fun Book.  Sue and Rick formed friendships with many of the club members but none as strong or as long lasting as those with Susan Armstrong Magidson and her husband Richard.  Over the years, this other Susan became one of the most prominent potbellied pig experts in the country.  Susan and Rick also went to many a midnight premiere of Star Trek movies with Richard and another friend from DVPPA, Chris.

As the years passed in Ewing, Susan enrolled in Mercer County Community College where she eventually got an Associate’s degree in Horticulture.  Susan always loved gardening, trees and the great outdoors.  She loved to fish along the Delaware and Raritan Canal with Rick.  If Rick was not around she would take one of the dogs along.  Occasionally Sue and Rick would go to the beach, fishing and  camping with her sister Mary or one of her nephews Dave, Tim or Brian. Sue even went on a trout fishing trip to Bushkill Creek in the Poconos with her brother Sonny where Sue caught the big one. Sue and Rick continued to go to concerts from time to time over the years, but the one band they equally loved and saw the most together was the legendary Pink Floyd who they saw three times. During this time period, Sue also got her first exposure to radio when she volunteered to regularly read for the blind at the NJ State Library for the Blind.  It was not live, but it was a start and a wonderful thing to do.

Sue and Rick often traveled down to Maryland to spend time with Rick’s family either staying with his Mom Joan or his brother Mark and his wife Marsha.  One morning, in January 1996, while visiting Mark and Marsh near Annapolis, Maryland, they woke up to find out that the earlier forecast for a foot a snow was upgraded to 20 to 30 inches.  With 9 inches already on the ground, they decided to immediately return to New Jersey fearing the pet sitter would never be able to get to the house.  It was the most harrowing drive of their lives.  While traveling north, they were pounded by the Blizzard of ‘96, as temperatures plunged they had to turn off all heat in the car so the snow would not melt and refreeze on the wipers.  Somehow they made it through Philadelphia before Route 95 was shut down.  They were both wrapped in blankets, Rick gripping the steering wheel while Sue dutifully scraped the ice off the inside of the windshield.  Somehow they made it home in only 6 hours since virtually no one else was on the road.  And it was a good thing because when they got home they found out the pet sitter was snowed in elsewhere and could not get to their house.

Sue and Rick took a couple more trips to Jamaica.  When they went to Sandals Negril, they took a side trip with other guests on a catamaran named Catty Ann.  Sue and Rick jumped off a 30-foot cliff with others from the boat.  It is amazing what a little rum punch will do for one’s inhibitions.  Later Rick upped the ante by jumping off a 60-foot high perch at a place ironically called Rick’s Café. No one else followed, it was good that he landed feet first!  Then there was a trip to Arizona to visit Uncle Jack and Aunt Lydia and the Grand Canyon before going on to California, Seattle and Vancouver, BC to visit friends they met in Jamaica.   A stop at Mt. Saint Helens was one of the creepiest places they went due to the utter devastation everywhere with the thought of another eruption looming in the back of their minds. They also took an eight-day bus trip starting in Rapid City, passing through Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone Park, the Grand Tetons and Idaho before ending in Salt Lake City.  Sue and Rick especially liked the wildlife and the geysers in Yellowstone.  Everything went well in Yellowstone until Rick got too close to a herd of elk for a picture and half of the bus passengers followed him like a pied piper.  Sue and the tour guide were not pleased!  The last big trip they took was a 2 week driving trip with stops at Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, then up along the St. Lawrence River to Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine, New Hampshire and Boston before returning home. They made no reservations and just stopped for the night wherever they wound up. Highlights included a couple nights camping in a tent, the CN tower in Toronto, the best clam chowder ever at Prince Edward Island, seeing the huge tidal range at the Bay of Fundy, Mt. Washington, the Canadian Parliament, the witch house in Salem and of course Niagara Falls.  They put nearly 7,000 miles on a brand new rental car in just two weeks much to the surprise of the rental car company!

In the late 90’s Sue and Rick added to their herd with Karma, a cute little senior citizen of a dog adopted from Rick’s Uncle Lawrence who had passed away.  Then there was Jake, a gray multicolored Shepard mix who looked like a wolf but had a heart of gold.  Jake was found tied up to a schoolyard fence and was rescued by Susie and others.  After briefly staying with Sue’s nephew David, Jake joined the Reilly clan of Susie, Rick and 5 other beloved pets.  It wouldn’t take Jake long to nuzzle his way into Susie’s heart and become the greatest love of her life, except perhaps for her dear Rick.  As the millennium was drawing to a close, Sue and Rick longed for a bigger house with more land out in the country something more fitting for their family of 8.  They set their sights on Hunterdon County and started their search for a new home in the dead of winter 2000.  In February they found a nice home with 3 acres in Kingwood Township and put a bid in just before the housing boom took off.  Then they loaded up their multi-species pack and headed to their new home on Tax Day April 15, 2000.

Their new home was their own special little piece of God’s country on the Hunterdon Plateau in Kingwood.  Rick immediately began building a stockade fence in the back yard to keep the herd safe while Sue turned her attention to planning and designing gardens.  The animals loved their yard, the dogs were able to run and Phoebe grazed ‘til her belly’s content, after all pigs will be pigs!  Sue loved that there was a trout stream nearby and Rick (a real snow lover) was thrilled with the prospect that their elevated rural setting would bring much more snow than they had in Ewing and to complete their dream, they soon found out that they were surrounded by wonderful neighbors who were kind and so full of warmth that it seemed they had been lifelong friends which they indeed would become.

In the early years of the new century, Sue and Rick settled into their new home, bought an additional 2 acres to enlarge their lot and eventually built a substantial addition to provide extra room.  And then there were many more gardens, Rick supplied the brawn and Sue her horticultural expertise.  Sue had many opportunities to go fishing and yes Rick did get his snow, lots of snow.  In 2002, on a bitterly cold snow covered Thanksgiving Day another special kitty walked up the driveway and meowed to Sue and Rick’s mom who was visiting.  Soon after they swooped her up in a blanket and brought her into the house so this small black stray, Sheba, could join the family.

As time passed Rinny, Ernest, Cal & Karma moved on to doggie and kitty heaven, while Jake romped in his back yard and Phoebe put on extra weight in the summers from all the grazing on grass and her favorite dandelions. And little Sheba settled into becoming a house cat never straying too close to the door.  Then in May of 2005, Susie found a for sale ad for Bluetick Coonhound puppies up in Warren County.  So Sue and Rick went up to take a look.  Rick was a bit tentative about a new dog but in the end it was his idea to get 2 puppies from the litter instead of one so they brought Lily and Sam home later that month.  These two had a very special bond with Susie and Rick not to mention the strong brother and sister bond they shared.  Sometimes it seems they conspired together to get in trouble.  They got along great most of the time because they each knew their place, Lily was the boss and Sam accepted it.

On a cold winter night in 2005, Susie had the opportunity to be DJ for an hour on Tom Wardle’s evening country show on WDVR 89.7 in Sergeantsville, NJ.  Tom was so impressed with Sue he thought she should have her own show.  Not long after, a spot opened up on Wednesday mornings and station owner Frank and Ginny Lee Napurano invited Susan to join the WDVR family.  The Bluegrass Breakfast show, with Susan Rose as DJ, aired every Wednesday from 6 am to 9 am for the next 11 years with well over 500 shows.  Susan Rose poured her heart and soul into her show doing several hours of planning and research prior to each show, not to mention getting up at 4 am so she could get to the station well ahead of her start time.  Susan Rose played a mixture of bluegrass and real country music with a down home warmhearted approach.  Whether listeners were home or on their way to work, they really looked forward to hearing Susan’s cheerful voice in the morning. Even though Susan knew her music and artists inside and out, every once in a while, she would hit the wrong button or play the wrong song by mistake.  But she never missed a beat, she would just exclaim “There goes Mr. Rooster again playing with the buttons on the sound board” … then she would push another button to play Mr. Rooster’s gleeful crow.  Sue also had a recording of her hounds Lily and Sam baying which was played back here and there for the country vibe. Listeners loved Susan Rose so much they would often send thank you notes to the station and when fundraising came around they made her show one of the top fundraisers for the station.  Eventually, Ginny Lee made Susan Rose the Bluegrass Music director for the station. Susan Rose opened and closed every show in a very special wall.  After the national anthem, pledge of allegiance, news and weather Sue opened up with ‘Three in a row with Bill Monroe”.  Then she closed every one of her Bluegrass Breakfast shows with the warm farewell “Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart” followed by “Keep on the Sunny Side” by the Carter Family.

In addition to her show, Sue often helped out her pal Dottie at the Heartlands Hayride and she also volunteered to help out with a number of Bluegrass Festivals sponsored by the station and she personally organized the WDVR Bluegrass Barn Dance held at the Flemington Elks Lodge in October, 2009.  The event featured 5 awesome Bluegrass Bands plus a Square Dance exhibition by The Hunterdon Flutterwheels!  In her years at WDVR Susan Rose formed some very special friendships with DJ’s, fans and artists but none was more special than the one with Frank and Ginny Lee.  She loved and respected them and the feeling was mutual.  In addition to her mentor Tom, Susan enjoyed lasting friendships with Carla, Lavina, Gene and Walt just to name a few from WDVR.  She was also friends with country music singer Mark Miklos and developed a correspondence relationship with songwriters Dixie and Tom T. Hall. Tom penned Harper Valley PTA which was an international hit single in 1968.  Last but not least and something Susan Rose really treasured was getting acquainted with Bluegrass icon Dr. Ralph Stanley and his family.  She even had the opportunity to fly down to Tennessee for Ralph’s 80^th birthday party and then sitting right next to Ralph and his wife at breakfast the following day.

Unfortunately, one day Susie and Rick loss their beloved Jake.  But even though Susan missed him deeply over the years she would often tell Rick she dreamed about him and Jake was always happy!  After Jake’s passing Sue and Rick adopted a Bluetick-Beagle mix puppy named Daisy.  Sue loved her greatly but often scolded Rick for spoiling her and giving her too many treats. They also adopted an extremely friendly kitten named Chloe.   A couple of years ago Sue and Rick lost Sam’s sister Lily.  After Lily passed, Susan spent more and more time with Sam so he would not be lonely. Having just turned 15, Sam still chases a squirrel now and then, albeit much slower.  Last summer Susan pined for yet another dog who was small enough to be a lap dog.  So they adopted a 2-year-old 20-pound beagle mix named Mick.  Mick was just the therapy Susan needed, either snuggled up next to her or curled up on her lap day and night, especially when Rick was doing errands or out doing his gigs as Santa Claus.

For most, if not all of her adult life, Susan continued to express her artistic skills in many ways.  She loved to paint, crochet, cross-stitch, quilt and create jewelry.  More recently she excelled in beading, creating her own designs for necklaces, bracelets and earrings which she would sell at craft shows and flea markets.  She even had her own little shop called “the Gift Gallery” in Rosemont where she would sell her creations along with collectables she had acquired over the years.  Susan was always quite the collector and she especially appreciated older items.  Over the last few years, Susan’s heath did slow her down a bit but she still managed to work with her beading, indoor plants and her container and flower plantings on her deck.  She was even able to get an hour of fishing in here and there with Rick.   She was also able to volunteer along with Rick to help her dear friend Susan Edwards at various fundraisers for Team Velvet, Inc. Rick even did a special fundraiser as Santa and his Christmas horses where Velvet, Precious and little Annie all dressed up in costumes for pictures with children (see gallery picture).  Sue loved all of the horses but had a special affinity for Velvet who really seemed to have a crush on her.

Susie and Rick never stopped loving each other and it is comforting to know that in addition to Rick, over the years Sue was surrounded by many dogs, cats and even their little pig Phoebe who lived with them nearly 20 years.  One thing that all of these animals had in common, was their unconditional love and loyalty to Susie and Rick.  These companions were so special to Sue and Rick and greatly enriched their lives just as Susan Rose enriched the lives of all who knew her.  Susan Rose, Sue, Susie you are loved and will fondly remembered and Rick will love you forever.  Not goodbye, but so long my dear sweetheart Susie.

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A public life celebration service is being planned at a later date under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Flemington, NJ. Please check back on this page for updated service information; again, the information will not be available until the restrictions are lifted.

Private family visitation and committal prayers, followed by interment at Rosemont Cemetery, Rosemont, NJ, took place under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.

***Due to the inability to have a public ceremony at this time, and knowing how vital the love of family, friends, and the community is when someone passes, everyone reading this is encouraged to leave a detailed note on this page—perhaps a favorite story, or maybe the way Susan touched your heart—something to help inspire a measure of comfort and hope to all who read the comments.***

Please visit Susan’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a memorial candle, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of her life.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Susan are asked to make a contribution in her honor to Team Velvet, Inc. Team Velvet, Inc. is a New Jersey non-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization providing proven and effective psychological counseling via horse therapy for 5 to 12 year old children with trauma, often at little or no cost to the family. Please click HERE to be taken to their home page where you can learn more about this wonderful organization which was close to Susan’s heart.

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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”