Susan Jean Marsett, journeyman pipefitter, DNREC retiree
Susan “Sue” Jean Marsett, 68, of Frankford, passed away surrounded by her loving family Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, after a valiant battle with lung cancer.
Sue was a proud Beebe baby, born in Lewes Dec. 22, 1955, daughter of the late Allen Howard Burton and the late Jean (Burbage) Burton. Sue graduated in 1973 from Indian River High School, where she formed enduring friendships that she valued until the end. After high school, Sue became the first woman in Delaware to complete the four-year journeyman pipefitter’s apprenticeship in 1978, after someone told her she couldn’t.
Sue worked as a journeyman pipefitter and an administrative assistant at Horizon Realty, before retiring as program manager for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Groundwater Discharges Section in 2012. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Sue earned an associate degree in applied science from Delaware Technical and Community College, a bachelor of science degree from University of Delaware, graduating magna cum laude, and a master of science degree in public administration from Wilmington University, all while working full time.
Sue loved musical theatre, picking crabs with friends, and making things grow whether they be houseplants or in her garden. Along with her husband, Jack, Sue enjoyed many extended vacations lounging on a beach in Tortola, BVI.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Gary Burton; and her half-brother, Bruce Burton. She is survived by her husband, John Marsett; her former husband and lifelong friend, Mark Warrington (Christine); her daughter, Kelly Kline (Tony); her stepdaughter, Christina Horstmann (Javier); her brother, Gregg Burton (Cheryl Justice); her half-sister, Bonnie Curtis (Gene); and many more beloved family members and friends, who will all miss this tough old bird.
A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15, at Frankford Chapel of Melson Funeral Services, 43 Thatcher St., Frankford, where friends and family may gather after noon. Interment will follow at St. George’s UMC Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in Sue’s name to Selbyville Public Library, P.O. Box 739, Selbyville, DE 19975, a frequent place of enjoyment for her and her daughter in their early years; or Millville Volunteer Fire Company, 35554 Atlantic Ave., Millville, DE 19967, members of which rushed heroically to a catastrophic fire on their property in 2021.
