Susan Elaine "Suzi" Bertino, also known as Suze and Suzi Q to those who loved her, was a hardworking single mother, a proud grammy, and a woman who built a career out of caring for the people she worked with. She passed away on May 18, 2026 at her home in Fair Oaks, California, where she had made her life since 1992. She was 69 years old.

Suzi worked nonstop to support her family, and for nearly thirty years she did that work at American Pacific Mortgage, where she had been a mortgage broker since 1997. Her kids remember her with a big file folder in front of her, fielding calls from agents and peers late into the evening while they did their homework at the same table. She was always working, and she was always there, and that didn't change when the grandkids came.

Being a grammy was one of the great joys of her life. She delighted in spoiling her grandchildren, Gage and Callen. Every birthday and holiday was an excuse for toys. She could be found in the audience of every school play or recital.

When she wasn't working, she made room for the good things: Bunco with her friends, a turn at the slots, an afternoon of shopping, time in her garden, or planning one of her infamous cocktail parties. Her two trusted companions, her dogs Mila and Letty, were rarely far from her side.

Suzi was born October 8, 1956 in Dallas, Texas, to Robert and Charlene Von Hoffmann, who preceded her in death. She is survived by her children, Brittnae Bertino, and Nic Bertino and his wife Carly Bertino; her grandchildren, Gage and Callen; and her siblings, Shirleen, Dave, and Bo.