No words can fully describe how we feel after losing Suzanne, and it is difficult to accept that she is really gone. She was our leader, our role-model, our mentor, our friend. The person we relied on most to guide our way through this long and challenging journey of academic research and lead us to our next career stage. Her mentorship style balanced support and independence in a way that appeared effortless. She was someone truly special, one we all admired and respected. Her sudden and tragic death has left us stunned and enveloped in deep, deep sorrow.

How privileged we feel, however, to have worked with this woman. Academic research can be arduous, but she provided us with an endless supply of positivity, smiles, and encouragement. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for discovery was infectious. Even in the darkest hour of the project, she could be uplifting and convince us that we were doing well. She believed in us when we didn’t. Any result we showed her, she would get excited about it, and she would remember it for a long time to come – sometimes long after we ourselves had forgotten. She would generate so many new ideas for what to do next - we often left meetings with our heads spinning. She embraced each result as a real clue to the truth and thought deeply about it. Even a few minutes of conversation with her had the potential to provide important fresh perspective.

Beyond her passion and enthusiasm, it was her broad curiosity and brilliant capacity to take in and synthesize information from multiple areas that made her exceptional. One has only to glance at her publication list to recognize the breadth of her interests and the depth of her knowledge – everything from lipid biochemistry, to hormonal control of organismal development, to signal transduction, to biophysics of tissue morphogenesis and growth and more. If you ever saw her at a scientific conference, she would be the one always asking an insightful question after nearly every talk, no matter the subject matter, in the most elegant, respectful voice (not to mention while dressed in the most stylish outfit). Training as a member of her team meant learning and discussing so much more of science than what was most directly related to our projects. This exposure will undoubtedly prepare us well for our next endeavors.

For better or for worse, Suzanne loved the big, hard questions in science. Nearly all her publications are very long, beautifully written, multiple authored, and interdisciplinary masterpieces. Even if we wanted a short story, she wouldn’t be satisfied. We did not always agree, but she was open to discussion, and we could work together to produce an elegant piece of work that satisfied us all. With every project, she sought to really answer a question that will push the field forward. Her approach and style forced us to go after what is challenging with determination, dedication, and optimism. There was so much more to learn from her - endless knowledge.

Finally, aside from her significant scientific abilities, we recognized her as a fantastic human being. We all fondly remember conversations with her that extended beyond science, to family, music, language, books, politics, gardening, travel, feminism… the list is almost endless. She was confident yet humble, strong yet also kind and generous. How lucky we were to have someone with such a vibrant personality in our lives, showing us by example how to live a full life.

We cannot thank Suzanne enough for all she did to help us grow as scientists and people, for making the time to discuss science with us, and for assembling and nurturing such a fantastic team of coworkers. With help from the exceptional scientific community in Dresden that she helped build, we will continue her work, because we believed in her vision. At every turn we will be wondering, “What would Suzanne say?” If we found something inconsistent with our current hypothesis, she would say, “That’s funny!” with an elegant laugh. If it was something completely new, she would say “That’s fascinating!” Either way, with sincere enthusiasm and surprise. We still hear her voice and her laugh and smell the waft of her perfume. We will hold that memory tight in our hearts forever, and we will do our very best to honor her and make her proud.

Suzanne, you have left an indelible mark on all our lives. We miss you dearly.