Susan Marie Gropel, age 58 of Marshall, passed away Friday, February 14, 2020 at Hospice of Murray County in Slayton. Memorial Services for Susan will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, July 23 at Steve Jr. & Lori Koch’s Home, 1834 170th Ave Slayton, MN. Please arrive at 12:30 p.m. to enjoy a luncheon together in honor of Susan and her mother Janet. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Susan Marie Gropel was born on December 12, 1961 to David and Janet (Qunell) Tutch in LaGrange, Illinois. She attended school in Lynd, Minnesota through most of high school, and graduated from Slayton High School in 1980. As a child, Susan fell in love with the horses her parents raised. She spent most of her childhood years riding horse with her friends, and enjoyed showing her horse at the county fair. In 1982, she married Kenneth Smith of Marshall. She later met and married Lance Gropel. They lived in the Minneapolis metro area, and enjoyed spending time at their cabin near Emily. She was always happiest when she was outside hunting, fishing or just enjoying being at the lake. She had many pet dogs and cats over the years, and enjoyed the company of her last two cats, Jasmine and Ariel, as her health was failing. She also loved watching the Minnesota Vikings, and enjoyed having her good friends Lenny Picht and Randy Coudron over to cheer them on. A special thank you to the great people at Hospice of Murray County who made Susan’s final months happy ones.
She is survived by her brother, David Tutch Jr. of St. Johns, AZ; sisters: Annette (Tom) Carr of Lynd and Michelle Simonsen of Minnetonka; nieces and nephews: Vanessa (Bryan) Grossman, David (Jessica) Tutch, Eric Tutch, Alyssa (BJ) Labat, Brian Carr, and Rebecca Carr; great nieces and nephews: Sienna Grossman, Roderick Tutch, Brendan Labat and Mia Labat. She was preceded in death by her parents.
