Sara Sue Garino

Sara Sue Garino, née Graham, a pillar of deep kindness, generosity, and unyielding joy, passed away peacefully in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 31st, 2025 at the age of 83 after an extended battle with renal problems. Born on May 21st, 1941, in Danville, Illinois, Sue and her family lived a rich and adventurous life, calling many places home over the years. Sue would embrace each chapter of her life, creating lasting relationships and making unforgettable memories. She was known by all for her warmth and ability to see the very best in people. To know her was to love her, and she surely loved you back.

The common theme of her multifaceted life was one of compassion for all walks of life and trying to make the world a better place. After attending Mount St. Mary’s Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, she received her undergraduate degree from SMU and was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She proceeded to obtain her Masters in Social Work from LSU. Sue went on to create strong community programs for adoptive parents, for people dealing with mental health crises, as well as for intellectually disabled populations. She formed the first social work department in Barnes Hospital Pediatric Leukemia Ward in St. Louis, Missouri.

Sue was a “do-er”. If something needed done she was the first to roll up her sleeves and help no matter what it was. Her life is filled with examples of how she provided for and loved her family, always ready to “be there with bells on” with a selfless devotion. In addition, she held many active committee roles in her community, became a Master Gardener volunteer, and found time to volunteer at the MEAC non-profit food pantry.

Always filled with curiosity, she was a life-long learner until the very end. Sue surprised everyone with her incredible, undiscovered talent as a watercolor artist. Her prolific work captured the beauty of nature in stunning detail and will be treasured reminders of her legacy.

Sue loved a crisply ironed white shirt, chocolate covered cherries, dog kisses, the sparkle in a grandchild's eye, honesty, a competitive game, laughing until it was hard to breathe, Christmas family traditions surrounded by beautiful Christmas lights, a good southern phrase, travel, caring for any plant, a weekly bag of new library books, the thrill of a new recipe, love stories, a good Manhattan, giving you her undivided attention, and Democracy.

Sue will be remembered with a love that can’t be described in words by her two daughters Beth (Greg) Schroeder and Tracy (Nicholas) Hodge, as well as her sister, Dorothy Ann Schnaedter, née Graham. Her grandchildren Thomas Garino, Graham Hodge, Owen Hodge, Elena Hodge, James Hodge, and also Elizabeth Schroeder, Kristina Schroeder, and William Schroeder, as well as many nieces and nephews, will carry the warm memories of her, always their biggest cheerleader, with them forever.

She is joined in rest by her mother, Grace Graham, née Derrick, her father, Thomas Gordon Graham, as well as her former husband, Martin Peter Garino, with whom she shared the love of their two children and an enduring friendship. With a family consisting of both blood ties and bonds formed from the heart, Sue’s reach was not only far and wide but, most importantly, deep and will be forever missed.

A visitation to honor Sue's life will be held on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 4:00-5:30 at Mueller Funeral Home, located at 6791 Tylersville Road, Mason, OH 45040.

If desired, memorial donations may be directed to https://www.cancerfamilycare.org/ , a non-profit that Sue felt was very special.