Susan Elston Wallace Drake

Susan Elston Wallace Drake, beloved wife of Philip M. Drake, died as she lived quietly with her daughter Margaret and her husband of 66 years at her side on Saturday, November 28, 2015 in Naples, Florida. She was a devoted mother to four daughters Anne, Kathleen, Margaret (Todd Vallely) and Susan Holly (Todd Sylvestri). Susan had three grandchildren, Kathleen Grosse, Ross and Kevin Sylvestri and two great-grandchildren, Anna Bella and Michael Morrell.   Susan was born on October 12, 1921 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Josephine and Lew Wallace. She was predeceased by her parents and brothers, Lew and William, and her sister Margaret Daly.

Susan graduated from Bennett College in Milbrook, NY. She worked at Simon & Schuster in New York before marrying Phil. She was a dog lover and had a dog at her side most of her life. Sue had many interests including tennis and golf in her earlier years and needlepoint, Nantucket basket weaving, Mahjong and croquet. She worked on her needlepoint projects with great love, ultimately giving her creations to those closest to her. She approached these interests with great enthusiasm and basically taught herself croquet in her senior years. She was a member of the croquet clubs in Marion, Massachusetts, Greenwich, Connecticut and Naples, Florida and was considered a tough opponent on the court. Sue was an avid reader who enjoyed sharing her love of literature with her friends. She was known by many for the wonderful, well thought out gifts that she gave for no reason at all. Along with her husband, Philip, Susan helped establish the Whitby School in Greenwich in 1958.

Susan was the great grand-daughter of Major General Lew Wallace, whose statue stands in Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol. He fought in three significant battles in the Civil War. In 1880, he authored Ben Hur, a best-selling novel that has been called the most significant Christian book in the 19th century.

Sue enjoyed being near or in the water and was most happy in her home in Marion, Massachusetts where she spent over 45 summers enjoying her family and friends.

Services will be held at 10:30 am on Saturday, December 5 at St. Michael The Archangel Roman Catholic Church, 469 North Street, Greenwich, CT. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, 200 Wallace Avenue, PO Box 662, Crawfordsville, IN 47933

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