Suanne “Sue” Palen (née Owings)

January 29, 1937 – May 31, 2026

Suanne “Sue” Palen, age 89, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2026. Born January 29, 1937, in Morehouse, Missouri to Virgil Walls Owings and Ruth Marie Peavler Owings, she experienced the early loss of her mother in 1946, when she was nine years old. In those years she grew especially close to her brothers and sisters—Betty, Nadine, Wanda, Bud, and Guy—a deep and lasting bond they carried through life together. Her father later remarried Helen Margaret Murrie Davis Owings.

In Springfield, Sue answered a calling to education. She taught for many years at Eugene Field, Wilder, and Boyd Elementary, pouring her energy into young lives. Later she continued that passion as a volunteer who brought art to life for elementary students, helping them see beauty and possibility in the world around them.

On October 18, 1957, Sue married Daniel Lee “Dan” Palen. They shared a life rooted in family and community in Springfield. She was preceded in death by her husband Dan (2013), their daughter Susan Elizabeth Palen (1967), and their son Robert “Dan” Palen (2021). She is survived by her sons Brett Palen (and wife Shelly) and Bradley Palen (and wife Cindy); daughter-in-law Lisa Palmer; and her beloved grandchildren: Alec, Beau, and Clay (children of Brett); Jessica, Peyton, and Barrett (children of Dan); and Breanna, Josiah, Megan, and Hadasa (children of Brad). She was also blessed with great-grandchildren Juniper, Rory, and Rosie. As “Mackie,” she poured her heart into her grandchildren—spending time and love on them above all else.

Above all, Sue had a rare and beautiful gift: she saw the best in people and believed in them so steadily that they began to believe in themselves. Her support was quiet but profound—she lifted those around her with a grace and consistency that helped them become more than they thought they could be. Her faith was the quiet anchor beneath it all. She was active in her church and Bible Study Fellowship, and even as her mind grew weaker in her final years, her thoughts turned to Jesus and His ability to help her in her hour of need.

Sue’s legacy lives on in every student she taught, every child she encouraged through art, and every person she helped believe in their own possibilities. She leaves behind a gentler, more hopeful world because she walked through it with such steady faith in others—and in the One who held her to the very end.

Visitation will be held at 9:00 a.m., with a Celebration of Life service following at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2026, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 East Seminole Street, Springfield, Missouri.

The family invites contributions to dementia research, to programs that support children’s education and the arts, or to simply carry forward Sue’s spirit of quiet encouragement in your own life.