Lepha Mae Emery Daniels Sumner
October 27, 1940 – February 6, 2023
Lepha Mae Emery Daniels Sumner, known to all as “Susie,” left us on February 6 to take on yet another adventure. Susie was born into a Mohave County Pioneer family on October 27, 1940 to Ernest Leroy Emery and Agnes Mae Harris Emery Osterman McMullen. Her maternal grandmother was Agnes Pearl Fancher Harris. Susie was the second child and told many stories about her brother, Ned Emery. Her favorite stories from her childhood in Kingman were of the adventures with her many friends and time spent in the Hualapai Mountains. Susie’s first marriage brought forth three children that were with her at her peaceful passing and miss her deeply: Lynn Daniels Bileti (Jay) of Sonoita, AZ, Barbara Daniels of Prescott Valley, AZ and John Daniels Jr. of Prescott Valley, AZ.
Susie’s adventures were many, from her horseback riding days in the Hualapai Mountains in her youth to flight lessons in Kingman in the early 80s. Susie had always wanted to learn to fly and it was a big day when she got her private pilot license and an Aerobat plane. She enjoyed many flights in that plane – rarely in a straight line! She had a long career with United Parcel Service and talked about delivering packages to many of the ranches in the far-flung areas of Mohave County. Susie eventually was trained to drive the 18-wheelers for UPS and drove a route to Las Vegas across the original highway that crossed Hoover Dam…with double trailers….at night! After a few years she was transferred to the Phoenix hub and continued to drive the big trucks. She later became a trainer for UPS on the big trucks. During these years she met and married James Weir Sumner. They had two interests that really brought them together – flying and trucking. Oh sure, there were other interests and they made the most of their time together traveling and making many, many friends across the country. Susie’s family is so blessed by the photographs, art, lapidary and silversmithing work that she has left behind. Most of all, the family is blessed by the outpouring of sympathy from her lifelong connections. Her humor and caring nature live on in our memories.
Susie is survived by her husband, Jim Sumner, her three children and four great grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held on March 9, 2023 at 10:00am at the Elgin Community Club in Sonoita, AZ. A second Celebration of Life is expected to be held in Kingman, AZ in April. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Susie’s name to the Elgin Community Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 124, Sonoita, AZ 85637.