Longtime Pierpont Beach resident Nancy "Sue" Biedebach, 69, of Ventura passed away Monday, Aug. 8, 2005, with her family by her side at Community Memorial Hospital after a one-year, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

Sue was born June 24, 1936, to Henry Paul and Elsie Charlene Gray. She graduated in 1954 from South Pasadena-San Marino High School, where she was active in the student government. In 1958, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (go Bears), where she was active in the Delta Gamma sorority and served as rush chairwoman for four years. She began her career working for U.S. Marshall Co. in its human resources department until she and her husband started their family. After her children were grown, she went back to work in Ventura, successfully selling real estate for Gold Key Realtors.

Sue met the love of her life, Douglas Draves Biedebach, on a blind date in the fall of 1959 and married him on Nov. 5, 1960, in San Marino, Calif. In 1973, the family moved to Ventura from Manhattan Beach and built a beautiful beach house, which would bring a lifetime of memories into the lives of so many people.

Susan, Sue, or as her late husband Doug called her, "Susie," was a devoted wife and caring mother to her two children, Karen and Michael. The Biedebach house was always a gathering place for Karen and Michael's friends, especially in the summer. The beach in front of their house often looked like State Beach No. 2. With all the kids came the volleyball net, surfboards, chairs, towels, coolers, etc. It was also clear that none of Karen's or Michael's friends ever suffered from dehydration. Sue was a gracious hostess for all her children's friends (Susie's and Doug's friends as well). Many endless memories were made as a direct result of the kindness of Sue and her late husband, Doug. They opened their home to everyone, young and old, and always made people feel welcome and leave with a fond memory and big smile.

Sue loved her monthly lunch gatherings with "the girls," Billie, Phyllis, Shirley, Dottie, June and Louise. She loved her neighbors on the beach, the color red, Christmas, playing gin rummy, artichokes, gardening, reading, cooking, shopping, flowers, watching her children and their friends play on the beach, and especially in the last years she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, Reilly, Tyler and Caitlin.

Sue will be deeply missed by all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Doug; parents, Paul and Charlene Gray; sister, Patricia Shepard (SPHS '48); and nephew Clark Biedebach.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Karen Lynn Biedebach-Berry and Andrew Berry, and their daughter, Caitlin Berry, all of Santa Paula; son and daughter-in-law, Michael Draves and Erica Biedebach, and their children, Reilly and Tyler, all of Ventura; brother-in-law Dean Shepard; niece and husband Linda and Paul Douglas and their son, Chris; niece and husband Kathy and Paul Roznowski and their daughter, Hanna; brother and sister-in-law Eugene and Polly Biedebach; niece Beckie Biedebach; great-niece, Lauren Biedebach; mother and stepfather MaryJo and Ron Kaminshi; and many good friends!

Ventura County Star, August 17, 2005