Sue Milburn (Haas) Beadle

Sue Milburn Beadle, 76, peacefully and painlessly slipped into eternity Tuesday, Feb. 2, at Elkhart General Hospital, surrounded by four generations of family and friends who dearly love her.

Sue was born on Sept. 20, 1944, in Elkhart to the late William F. Haas, a World War II veteran and Elkhart city firefighter, and Dixie (Fields) Haas, who served as Elkhart city and county clerk. Sue graduated from Elkhart High School in 1962 and married Larry J. Beadle four years later.

She is survived by her brother, John Haas; daughters Monica (Beadle) Cummings and Lindsey (Balogh) Meszaros (Joe); niece, Kelcie Haas; grandchildren Amber Sebastian (Jared), Ashley Garnett (Jordan), Abbigail Cummings, and William, Andrew, and Harrison Meszaros; and great-grandchildren Zander and Parker Sebastian. Also surviving is Lindsey’s father, Ray Balogh.

Sue lived a career dedicated to public service and was well-respected by all who worked with her. She worked for the State of Indiana and served as bailiff for three Elkhart County court judges – Stephen Platt, James Rieckhoff, and Worth Yoder— before being elected Elkhart City Clerk in 1985.

Well known for her fairmindedness, professional commitment to impartiality, and administrative excellence, Sue was universally admired from both sides of the political aisle, and was re-elected to the clerkship seven times, invariably garnering more votes than any other municipal candidate in those general elections. She retired at the end of 2019 after serving 32 years as city clerk.

Sue was heavily involved in the Republican Party and served as local campaign chairman for Sen. Dan Quayle and Vice Chairman of the Elkhart County Republicans. She also successfully chaired several campaigns throughout the county and assisted numerous other campaigns in various capacities.

Her excellence was recognized with two Sagamore of the Wabash awards, the highest honor bestowed by the Governor, and she was given the Key to the City, Elkhart’s highest honor, by Mayor Tim Neese.

Always working to better herself, Sue earned numerous continuing education certifications from the State of Indiana and served as President of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.

Sue enjoyed traveling, particularly road trips to visit Lindsey in Tacoma, Wash., taking a different route each time to experience more of this country’s natural beauty. She also loved attending Assembly Hall in Bloomington with friends to cheer on the Indiana University basketball team.

She was an avid reader and was often seen with a book or Kindle in her hands. She also liked to watch movies of all different genres.

Some of her most cherished times came when she hosted family for holiday gatherings, serving up delicious and abundant meals to accompany the fellowship and laughter around her dining room table. She was particularly renowned for her prime rib, roasted turkey, beef and noodles, and her homemade fudge and caramels.

Visitation is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, at Hartzler-Gutermuth-Inman Funeral Home, 403 W. Franklin St., Elkhart. Pandemic restrictions limit attendance to 50 persons at a time.  Private family services will be held. Burial will be in St. John of the Cross Cemetery in Bristol.

In lieu of flowers, family members have requested memorial contributions to Faith Mission of Elkhart 801 Benham Ave Elkhart, IN 46516 or St. Jude Children’s Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959. Contributions can be brought to the visitation or may be dropped off any time at the funeral home.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later time.

Condolences may be made online at www.hartzlergutermuthinman.com.

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