Ocean City Loses School Advocate Suzanne Morgan, “Heaven Gains Shining Star”

By MADDY VITALE Suzanne Morgan was always thinking of others, her three daughters, students in the Ocean City school district and the community. Those who knew Morgan, a former Board of Education member who served from 2018 to 2021 and was an active parent, described her as a true advocate for schoolchildren and for the community where the single, working mom chose to raise her daughters. She died at age 53 at a Philadelphia hospital on Jan. 2. It was just five hours after learning she had acute leukemia, family members said in an interview Thursday. Now her daughters, Madison Morgan, 19, Dayna Pfau, 22, and 24-year-old Morgan Pfau, are working together to honor their mother’s legacy. They are holding a “Celebration of Life” for her at Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point on Friday, Jan. 13. There will be visitation from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a service. Then from noon to 3 p.m. there will be a luncheon where people may share fond memories of Morgan. Suzanne Morgan’s wish was that the event should be a happy gathering, rather than a somber memorial service. “She didn’t want people in black and crying,” Morgan Pfau said. “My mom wanted people celebrating her and being loud. She wants people to wear maroon, which was her favorite color.” A GoFundMe page was set up by a family friend, Alyssa Shiffler, of Upper Township, to help offset the services. There is a goal of $20,000. By Thursday night, donations had exceeded $15,000. https://www.gofundme.com/f/celebrating-the-life-of-sue-morgan In her description of the fundraiser, Shiffler wrote of Morgan, “She rooted for everyone and she rooted for the good of the world and the betterment of our community. Every day will be a little darker, parties will be a little quieter, and the world will never be the same without Sue.”

During the Ocean City Board of Education meeting Wednesday night, the school board asked for a moment of silence to remember Morgan and to think of her family during a difficult time. Board of Education member Cecilia Gallelli-Keyes was selected to speak on behalf of the board about Morgan’s contributions to the district and to the community. This is just a portion of what Gallelli-Keyes said of her friend and colleague on the board: “We, the Ocean City school board and district want to thank her for her wisdom and insightfulness that she gave to this board.” She continued, “The world has lost a great advocate and asset, but Heaven has gained a shining star. Much love, prayers and peace to Sue’s family.” Madison Morgan said she and her sisters were so appreciative of the outpouring of love and support and generous donations in memory of their mother. “Considering how sudden this happened, the fact everyone is rallying around us makes this difficult and unimaginable time more bearable,” said Madison, a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston. Madison lived with her mother when she wasn’t away at college, in their Merion Park home in Ocean City. The hope is that some of the funds from the GoFundMe donation drive could go toward possibly keeping the home in the family, she said. The donation drive to help the family is also a testament to Suzanne Morgan’s contributions to the community. “My mom was the helper, and she wanted to help other people. That is how she dedicated her life,” Madison Morgan said. “To see everyone giving is so moving. My mom really did leave a legacy. I hope that wherever she is, if she is in Heaven, she knows how she impacted people.” While Madison Morgan was her mother’s science whiz growing up, Dayna Pfau, who works for an electric company in Pennsylvania, was her “ballerina.” Morgan Pfau spoke on behalf of her little sister, Dayna, who was a competitive dancer during school. “She called our mom ‘Dance Mom,'” Morgan Pfau said, referring to the TV show that featured a dance instructor who was very no-nonsense and dedicated to the students. “She came to every competition, every rehearsal, and every recital. When Dayna broke her hip during a competition in 2015, mom did everything in her power to make sure she got better and didn’t stop dancing. Mom loved her little ballerina.”

Suzanne and her daughters together in May 2021 for Madison’s high graduation.

Morgan Pfau, who is currently in a master's program for clinical psyschology at Rowan University, was moved to tears as she spoke of how proud her mother was when she graduated from Stockton University in 2021. “She was so proud. She was that sort of mom. She did everything in her power to make me feel so special and to celebrate me,” Morgan Pfau said. “Two or three weeks prior to my graduation, we danced and sang. She was so happy for me.” Back in 2018, Suzanne Morgan decided, since her children had recently graduated from the Ocean City school district, that she could have some time to give back as a board member. In January of 2018, Morgan, who was in the pharmaceutical industry in marketing and sales for more than two decades, was sworn in to fill the vacancy on the Board of Education created by the death of Thomas R. Oves Jr. She was selected among her peers for the term. In November 2021, she lost election to the school board. Prior to the election, she and other candidates outlined for OCNJDaily.com what they thought they could bring to the board. She gave her reasons for running for office, despite her daughters having graduated from high school “I am the same parent, friend, taxpayer, and neighbor as anyone else. I am an ordinary citizen who cares about the students in our school district,” she said. “Many people have asked me if I was going to run again since my daughters graduated. I choose to run for the school board because I want to ensure the best interests of our community are being seen and heard. I am representing the community’s beliefs and opinions.” Board of Education member Jacqueline McAlister reflected on her former fellow board member in an interview Wednesday. She called her a good friend. “Sue was truly an exceptional human being, with love and sincerity at the front of everything she did,” McAlister said. “You always read that someone lit up the room, but for Sue, that was a completely accurate description.” McAlister described Morgan as “funny, and brave, and bright, and very sincere in everything she said.” “If you knew her for five minutes or 15 years, it didn’t matter to her. She was your instant advocate, your loudest cheerleader, and your best friend. With Sue, you could feel her love for Morgan, Madison, and Dayna just by being in the room with her,” McAlister pointed out. “Her legacy will be to teach us all to love more deeply, to live in the moment, to laugh a little louder, and to never waste a moment on negativity. Sue has taught us all to be better to each other, and her absence will be felt by the whole community.”