Susan Marie Wilmore, 70, of Lenexa, died peacefully at home on June 20, 2026, after a courageous 15-month battle with glioblastoma. Though this devasting form of brain cancer took her from this world, she will forever be in the hearts of those fortunate to have known her, loved her and laughed with her. What a treasure she was!
Susan was born on October 12, 1955, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Daniel and Patricia Smith. The second of five children, she had a feisty sense of humor, adventurous streak, generous heart, unshakable loyalty, and was an avid game player with the best memory and ability to spell. Even near the end, she could spell words correctly at the drop of a dime.
After the family moved to Prairie Village, Kansas, when she was quite young, Susan attended school at St. Ann Catholic School, eventually graduating from Shawnee Mission South High School in 1974 after the family relocated to Overland Park. Her love and talent of dance prompted her onto the school’s Flag Team and as a member of the Kansas City Chiefettes, a coveted precision-style dance team. Oh, how she dazzled in those red uniforms and white boots!
After studying at The University of Kansas, Susan’s adventurous streak took hold when she and a couple of girlfriends set off for Lake Tahoe, Nevada, to work in the gambling industry. There, she met the love of her life, Michael Wilmore. Mike loves to tell the story that while on the beach one day with a friend, he took one look at Susan and told the friend, “I’m going to marry her.”
And he did just that, becoming her devoted husband of 47 years. Mike became a chiropractor and, after settling in Lenexa, Mike and Susan raised three children, Zachary, Michelle and Matthew, who also were the loves of her life, along with her two granddaughters, McKenna and Cora.
Though she had stints in retail and customer service, Susan’s true calling was her family. Playing hostess for years during Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve family get-togethers, her hearty laugh, often at her own jokes, will forever be a warm memory for her numerous nephews, nieces, siblings, children and grandchildren. And she made the best chocolate chip cookies! Her signature at the end of letters and cards was always a hand drawn “elephant butt” and her sign-off, “Peace and Cookies.”
Susan was a fun-loving mother and grandmother, passing down her joyful personality to them all. When she dropped them off at school, she’d yell as they left the car, “Keep your pencils sharp!” just to tease them. She wrote notes in their lunches, always with her signature elephant, and when school was out for the year, she’d sing, “School’s Out for the Summer!” with such ferocity it made them laugh hysterically. Another favorite song was “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and that’s what she was: happy.
Though she was always humble, Susan took great pride in her appearance, even teaching McKenna that if anyone ever asks how she got so pretty, she was supposed to say, “I got it from my Gigi.” And Susan was indeed beautiful, inside and out.
When Mike needed a heart transplant in 2023, Susan proved to be a devoted caregiver. During Mike’s journey before and after his successful surgery, she was his rock who guided him through that long and tentative process. When Susan became ill in March of 2025, Mike returned the favor tenfold, becoming her chief caregiver and champion. Together, they made one heck of a warrior team.
Susan is preceded in death by her parents, grandparents and sister-in-law Michelle Stueve Smith. She leaves behind her husband, Mike; son Zach of Shenzhen, China; daughter Michelle Phelps (Chad) of Olathe, and their daughters McKenna and Cora; son Matt of Taipei, Taiwan; brothers Mark Smith of Scottsdale, Arizona; Paul Smith (Debbie Hosty) of Lenexa; Jim Smith (Mary Anne) of Fernandina Beach, Florida; sister Jan Dumay of Overland Park; and numerous nephews and nieces and their children.
A Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. (livestream available on queenoftheholyrosary.org) at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 7023 W. 71st St., Overland Park, KS, 66204. Burial in Resurrection Cemetery, 83rd Street and Quivira Road, Lenexa, KS.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Saint Luke’s Hospice.