Susan Kulhanek

Susan Kulhanek, age 54, passed away March 13, 2024.  She was born April 16, 1969, in Parma to James and Madeline (Kurz) Kulhanek.

On March 13, our precious Susan lost her battle to CRPS after fighting bravely for four years against excruciating pain.  She was 54 years old.

Even with the extreme pain, she continued to show love towards her daughters, Emily and Rachel  She loved them fiercely and was so proud of both of them. She would have walked though fire for them and likely did through the CRPS pain.

Even in her darkest hours, she had an amazing ability to give thoughtful, specific, generous, personalized gifts that made a person feel known and seen. She loved watching the recipient open the gift and feel their joy. It was her way of showing love or saying she loved you.

She was an empath, extremely aware of others’ feelings. Susan hated injustice. She would passionately defend her loved ones (even when they didn’t want/need defending at times).  Best seen in her 20 plus year career at Brittany Residential Inc where she helped many disabled people live rewarding lives. She loved “her guys” and wanted the best for them.

Growing up with all the neighborhood kids, she created performances of Annie, West Side Story, and Fame in our basement. She would  listen to hours of Billy Joel albums, Pat Benatar, and some of her favorites, Heart and The Cars. When not performing, her childhood was spent in the yard, playing catch with a baseball, shooting hoops, playing “Kick the Can” and “Ghost in the Graveyard” and other games with our great neighbor kid group until called in for the night.

She was a talented artist and loved to create. Most memorable was when her parents allowed her to paint murals on the basement walls. Her artwork was excellent. She could beat anyone at naming 80's musicians/songs, Pictionary, Scrabble and word games. She hated grammatical mistakes, and the misuse of words like they’re, their, and there.

She was actively involved with her daughters, from coaching their softball teams to hosting summer bonfires. Even as her children grew, her house was a joyful, safe space for holiday dinners and weekend sleep overs. If not together, she could be found communicating with her daughters several times a day. No decision, big or small, was made without consulting the “three musketeers”.

She was thrilled to reunite with Brian 12 years ago at a class reunion and to marry him. She made a phone call to share the news. She said she “finally got it right”. And she was right. He was with her every minute until her last days. She even shared her love of Dunkin/Starbucks and converted him into a coffee drinker.

She shared her birthday, April 16, with her paternal grandmother Julia, with whom she shared a strong, special bond. Both Susan and her paternal grandmother were Aries. As her horoscope says, she excelled at artistic expression and was here on this earth to connect on a deep, emotional level, to show compassion, love, and support to those in need.                 

While we may try our best, grammatical errors are likely noted and Susan is probably editing from above.

Susan is survived by her husband, Brian Klotzbach; daughters, Emily Kulhanek and Rachel Miramendi (Hafid Hugo); her 6 month-old twin grandsons, Santiago and Federico; her parents, Madeline and James Kulhanek; and her sister, Karen Kulhanek-Rochin (Gerardo Antonio) and a huge extended family of loved ones and friends.

Friends will be received Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 6:00-7:30 PM at Spear Mulqueeny Funeral Home, 667 Mentor Avenue, Painesville.  Funeral Services will follow at 7:30 PM. Graveside services will be 11:00 AM at Riverside Cemetery in Painesville the following day.

Donations in Susan's memory may be made to CRPS Warriors Foundation, 29910 Murrieta Hot Springs Rd. Ste G-143, Murrieta, CA 92563, or to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), 1225 Dublin Road  Ste 050, Columbus, Ohio 43215

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