Mary Sue Elam

Mary Sue Elam (1952-2025)

Sue Elam, 73, of San Diego, California died on Saturday, December 13, 2025, following an 8 year battle with ovarian cancer, surrounded by her family and friends.

She was born in Vinita, Oklahoma in 1952 to Paul J Elam and Jean Pipes Elam. Later the family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and Wilmington, Delaware. Sue entered the United States Navy in 1973 and served for 4 years as a meteorologist in Monterey Bay, California. She then received her degree in computer science from San Diego State University. She worked as a software engineer at QualComm before retiring in 1999.

Sue is preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her son, Kenneth Paul Elam-Lunde of San Diego, California of whom she was immensely proud. She is also survived by her sister, Jane Elam of Oregon, Mark Elam(brother) Texas and Barbara Bradley(sister) Pennsylvania.

Whatever hobby or skill Sue decided to try out, she mastered. An avid gardener, she built beautiful gardens and loved nothing more than to putter around a garden store looking for new additions. A perfectionist baker and cook, Sue loved the challenge of baking bread and trying to cook new types of cuisine. Additionally, she adored her son Kenny and loved supporting his dreams of becoming a professional dancer. She was incredibly proud of his achievements and recent graduation from the Boston Conservatory of Dance with a BFA in Commercial Dance.

Those who knew and loved Sue knew her dry humor would appear at the most unexpected times and that she was a strong voice for fairness and equality. She had strong opinions but was continuously curious and loved to learn. Her quiet strength was a constant source of support for her friends and family and the depth of her love for those in her circle was deep. Her memory will be a blessing for those who knew her, her absence will be felt forever.

Per Sue’s request, no funeral service will be held but a celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (ocrahope.org) would be greatly appreciated.