Suellen Ann Van Ooteghem, age 78 of Springfield, died Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at her home. Her remains are to be cremated and the family will hold a celebration of life on October 3, 2020 in Roswell, GA. Her cremains will be buried in Georgia.

Ms. Van Ooteghem was born October 2, 1941 in Detroit, MI to the late Hugh and Helen Horvat Van Ooteghem. She had obtained her PHD and was a research scientist. She developed procedures dealing with nuclear waste, did research on psychotropic drugs, and studied degenerative brain disorders using mice. She also did research on hydrogeneration using microbe organisms gathered from hydrothermal vents from the bottom of the ocean. She was always keeping busy doing oil painting, gardening, sewing, and reupholstering. To see an article on her work go to https://www.the-scientist.com/research/biologically-derived-hydrogen–future-fuel-51755

She is survived by her sons, Mark Olson and wife, Tammie, of Roswell, GA and Duane Olson and wife, Brenda, of Covington, GA; daughters, Sari Lawrence and husband, Randy, of Springfield and Corrie Wilson and husband, Rick, of Acworth, GA; brothers, Steven Van Ooteghem and wife, Suzanne, of Arizona and Hugh Van Ooteghem and wife, Peggy of Dearborn, MI; sisters, Katherine Jex and husband, Fred, Camille Van Ooteghem, and Ellen Mitchell and husband, Dave, all of Michigan; 13 grandchildren; and 18 great grandchildren.

Ms. Van Ooteghgem was technically deaf which was a defining disability in her life. The family requested, in lieu of flowers, for donations to be made to The American Society for Deaf Children at https://deafchildren.org/