Sue (Susie) Reid Draper, 84, died on Dec. 27, 2024.
Born Sept. 13, 1940, to the late John “Cutty” Reid Jr. and Opal (Moran) Reid, Sue was a 1958 graduate of Paducah-Tilghman High School. As a Navy wife, Sue lived in and traveled to multiple states, yet she loved Kentucky and her hometown of Paducah best of all. Sue was a local historian and proud of her family’s founding of Reidland, Ky. She was preceded in death by husband Bill Draper and sister Mimi Reid Hardman. She is survived by daughter Leigh Draper (and spouse Dr. Joan Walker) of Peekskill, N.Y.; son William Reid Draper of Paducah; sister Johnna Reid Patterson of Treasure Island, Fla.; a large and beloved extended family; and many lifelong friends.
In mourning her passing, family and friends remember Sue’s energy, faith, caring for others, and wit. She was an inspiration and mentor to many. Friends described her as “a force of nature” and “someone unafraid to speak up for what she thought was right.” As one friend wryly observed, “she spoke fluent sarcasm.” Sue loved to play games with family, reveling in cut-throat Scrabble, Yahtzee and the card game Shanghai. In her final years she was an avid player of Words With Friends, competing online daily with her dear friend Barbara Young. When out engaging in her favorite pastime of shopping and antiquing, Sue was renowned for her colorful, stylish wardrobe, including many pairs of sunglasses. She produced beautiful watercolor paintings, quilts, and decorations. Over the years, she enjoyed many long-haired dachshunds as pets.
In addition to her roles as wife and mother, Sue was an accomplished non-profit professional, committed to connecting with and serving others. Upon earning her B.A. from Murray State University in elementary education, she began her career as a classroom teacher in 1962, leading one of the first racially integrated classrooms in the state of Georgia. A firm believer in the transformative power of education and the obligation to make learning opportunities available to all, she was especially proud of her work at Morehead State University, where she led Head Start training programs across the region. While living in Frankfort, Ky., she served the Commonwealth as Executive Director of the Kentucky Coalition for Literacy, overseeing adult literacy programs in 120 counties. Later, she served as Executive Director of the Land Between the Lakes Association in Golden Pond, Ky. At the end of her career, she led workforce development programs at Western Kentucky Technical College. In retirement she developed and led family literacy workshops at the McCracken County Public Library with friend LaDonna Butler.
This lifelong Democrat relished serving as a staffer on gubernatorial and Congressional political campaigns in Kentucky. Sue belonged to multiple civic groups including the League of Women Voters, Volunteers in Police Service, the Paducah City Beautification Board, the Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church Board of Trustees, and the Paducah Ambassadors. Fountain Avenue Methodist Church played a significant role in Sue’s life: Her parents were members there, she was married there, her children were baptized there and she taught Sunday School there for years. For the past 10 years, a large part of Sue’s social life included monthly lunches with church and high school friends.
A visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church in Paducah. A funeral service will follow at 1 p.m., with a reception in Heath Hall. A private burial service will be at a later date.
Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Paducah is in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to Provider Enrichment Services-Early Learning Collective at https://square.link/u/ePJfYLZ0 or to the John R. & Opal M. Reid Scholarship at WKCTC at www.westkentucky.kctcs.edu/giving.
