Suzanne Hughes Obituary

Suzanne Carolyn Hughes (born Schilder), of Cedar Park, TX, passed away in the early hours of January 2, 2026, at the age of 61, after her third battle with cancer.
She was born on June 29, 1964, in Columbus, OH, to parents William Schilder and Maryanne (Orndorf) Schilder. The Schilder clan, with its two parents and eight children, made their home in Grandview, OH, where Suzanne and her siblings made a name for themselves as the neighborhood's whirling dervishes of good-natured chaos. Suzanne was always right at the heart of it. As a young girl, she'd pack slices of bread from the family kitchen, buy a fat tomato from the neighbor down the road for a dime, and spend whole days riding her bicycle across Central Ohio, stopping to make friends, eat her tomato sandwich, relentlessly tease her younger sisters, maybe sneak into a Buckeyes football game with her brothers, and, of course, always, shoot hoops.
Suzie was head-over-heels in love with sports, and while she was a highly successful high school volleyball player, she was a true wonder on the basketball court. She was great at the sport: aggressive, powerful, competitive, and dominant. As a Grandview Heights Bobcat, graduating in 1982, Suzanne set multiple high school records, some of which still stand. Following that, she went on to play for Ohio University on basketball and volleyball scholarships.
Later in life she took great joy in watching any and all sports she could, as long as they were basketball or football. It didn't matter if it was professional or high school, she was one of very few people who got equal enjoyment from watching any game. Whether it was the Super Bowl or a Tuesday night matchup between Akron and Toledo, she lived by one of her favorite sayings: "It's Game Day, that's what it's all about!"
Suzanne loved to subvert expectations. That came out on the court, where she did up her hair, makeup, and nails so her opponents might not think she took the game seriously. And it came out in her choice of life partner. Suzanne married Kevin Hughes, in Columbus, OH, on April 12, 1986.
Kevin wasn't a jock or a prep and didn't care about what he wore. He liked sci-fi, psychedelic rock, and flying airplanes, with minimal interest in sports, while Suzie polished her dozens of sneakers until they gleamed and watched every sport she could. But the two of them shared undeniable chemistry, insatiable curiosity, and the rare and brave perspective that their life was an adventure, in the end very short, and what's the worst that could happen? Kevin and Suzanne stayed together to the end, through the ugliest times and most beautiful times, and all the moments that were both.
As a devoted mother to her three kids, Suzanne was fun-loving and full of life. She wanted to be a mom, and she was great at it. Her love for her children was evident to all, and she took great joy in simply spending time with her kids. In later years, she spoke about how much she enjoyed conversations with them, even when they were just toddlers. She had fun with them, chatting in the car, making up jokes and games, going on adventures that felt big but cost very little. Throughout their entire lives, Suzanne cared more than anything else about making her children happy, and she worked tirelessly to learn how to do that in different ways for each of them, just as they needed. She taught them that even if they ever made a mistake or got into trouble, the only thing that mattered to her was that they were safe and happy. She was always fiercely proud of her children and loyal to them, even when she didn't understand them.
One thing that always made everyone in the family equally happy is the beach. The Hughes family took every possible opportunity to take a road trip to a warm beach. They were never happier than altogether, their group of five, playing in the sand and waves, looking at weird stuff that washed up in the high tide, building drip castles, making jokes, or keeping watch for dolphins. The Hughes Beach World revolved around Suzanne in her beach chair, wearing her visor and sunglasses, gazing at the ocean for hours. She always made sure to have a spot in the sun. This was peace. While they lived in many places across the United States: Ohio, Colorado, and Texas, home was anywhere the family was together.
One beautiful thing about Suzanne is that she never lost herself while raising her kids. Suzie maintained and formed ever more joyful friendships as she grew into middle age, holding court with her hilarious stories and charming sass at local bars, family parties, and school functions. She could, and would, make friends with anybody. Doctors, nail techs, neighbors, waiters, strangers in line at the store everyone would remember how fun and sweet Suzie was. Even while undergoing incomprehensibly painful cancer treatments, she found ways to make dirty jokes.
Suzanne was eternally generous. She did love her clothes, shoes, furniture, and decor but she also loved giving them away whenever she didn't want them anymore, usually to someone who really needed them. She was always willing to help and to give whenever she could.
In all things, Suzie balanced competitive intensity with a disinterest in pettiness. She always spoke her mind – except when someone simply didn't matter enough to be given the time of day. She was never afraid to ask for what she wanted. She'd scream at the TV during a Buckeyes game, but if they lost, well, it was immediately time to look forward, no wallowing. And while she tried to hold grudges against those who did her wrong, she always forgave and showed up for them when things got real. She loved people too much to do otherwise. One of her favorite expressions that illustrates this attitude to just let things roll off was "Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave"
This is the worst part of writing this obituary, the part where she gets sick. Suzanne was diagnosed with vaginal cancer in the summer of 2009, then again in 2012. Her treatments were brutal. She ultimately underwent a full pelvic exenteration that saved her life in 2013. It took multiple years of recovery for her to feel like a human again. But she adapted, and she lived to see two of her children get married, all of them graduate college, and one earn her Master's degree. She spent hundreds more hours on the beach with Kevin and her children and saw some of the greatest sports moments of the 21st century. And then, in January 2025, she got another cancer diagnosis, this time terminal. While it doesn't make sense that she kept getting cancer, and she certainly didn't deserve it (no one does), she took it in stride; from her view she got 13 good bonus years after the last bout in 2012. She was a competitor, a fighter, someone who doesn't give up. Although the past year taxed her physically and mentally, it usually made her mad more than sad. But her passing wasn't giving up. It was a deep, intimate, and spiritual acceptance that came after a lot of pain. She is at peace now.
Suzanne is survived by her husband, Kevin Hughes; her son Kevin (Patrick) Hughes and his spouse Kimberly Hughes; her two daughters, Kayleigh Hughes, and McKenzie Hughes; her mother, Maryanne Souders; and her seven brothers and sisters, Erin Gatto, Eric Schilder, Greg Schilder, Timmy Schilder, Philip Schilder, Amy Browning, and Allison Brammer.
Two celebration of life memorials will be held on March 21st in Austin, TX, as well as on April 12th in Columbus, OH. Contact family for details. The funeral home in charge of arrangements is Beck Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Cedar Park, TX. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to:
United Ostomy Association
https://www.ostomy.org/donate/
UOAA
PO Box 2293
Biddeford, ME 04005