Susan "Swiss Miss" Wubbena

Susan “Swiss Miss” Wubbena, of Savanna, IL, passed away Monday, April 1, at Big Meadows Nursing Home in Savanna. A celebration of Susan’s life will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. April 13, at The Eagles Club in Freeport, IL. Inurnment will take place at Oakland Mausoleum in Freeport.

Susan was born September 4, 1938, daughter of Clifford and Marian (Blumer) Isely. She grew up in Monroe, WI, and attended Monroe Schools. Susan graduated from Monroe High School with the class of 1956. Soon after graduating, Susan married her high school sweetheart, Don Christen. Together they raised one child and later separated. Susan stayed in Freeport for many years. In 1986 she married the love of her life, Rodney Wubbena. Together Susan and Rod celebrated 37 years of marriage.

In the early 90s, Susan and Rod moved to their home in Riverview, outside of Thomson. They loved being close to the river. Susan was great at anything dealing with water be it swimming, fishing or boating. She loved going up and down the river in her cabin cruiser from which she got her nickname “Swiss Miss”. She knew a lot of people and had many friends from her 40 plus years of boating on the Mississippi. On a long trip Susan kept a journal detailing the events or setbacks in the days goings on. In her younger days, she enjoyed a cocktail or two, and was always the center of attention with a witty joke, singing karaoke, or even yodeling.

Susan had a heart of gold and loved to help people. She became a LPN in 1981, and worked at Stephenson Nursing Center in Freeport for 20 plus years. Her kindness didn’t end with people, as Susan loved animals too. She loved looking out to her bird baths and feeders to see which birds had come to visit her that day. Susan took daily trips to Lock 13 outside of Clinton, IA, to bird watch and count how many she saw.

Susan will be dearly missed by her husband, Rodney; her son, Brian (Patty) Christen of Bend, OR; her great-granddaughter, Mia (Chris) Roman-Ramirez of Bend; her great-great-grandson, Miles Roman-Ramirez; her brother, Fred Isely of Monroe; and her nephews, Dean Isely and Mark Isely. Susan is preceded in death by her son, Terry; her grandson, Josh; and her parents, Cliff and Marian.