MADISON - Susan Inez “Sue” King (née Olson), of Madison, Wis., passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, March 23, 2026, following a long illness.

Sue was the middle daughter of Chester and Gladys (Kidd) Olson, born January 27, 1949, in Madison. Sue always looked up to her older sister, Jane, and enjoyed having some seniority over her younger sister, Kathy-especially once she started going to school and could share all the things she was learning. The Olsons loved spending summers on the lake in northern Wisconsin, where the girls swam and fished. In 1967, Sue graduated from LaFollette High School.

When Sue welcomed her first son, Todd, to the world in 1968, she began to see her life’s joy and purpose taking shape. Being a mother, and later a grandmother, were her two favorite titles and proudest accomplishments. Her second son, Rick, was born in 1973, and by the mid-‘80s she had her hands full raising teenage boys on her own. She sat proudly in the stands of her boys’ football games, always their biggest cheerleader, which continued well past high school. Through her example, she instilled in her boys a strong work ethic, taught them to savor the small things, and love fiercely.

Sue worked several jobs while she was busy making a home and raising her sons, but she found a bit of a second home and family at the Dane County District Attorney’s Office in the 1990s, where she worked on the clerical team. She went on to spend nearly three decades at the DA’s Office, and was well known and respected among her colleagues, prosecutors, and legal staff for her work ethic, sense of humor, and friendly face. She was never shy to share an anecdote about her family or a picture of her grandchildren, and when family visited her at work, she loved introducing them to her coworkers.

When Todd and Rick began building families of their own, Sue made sure she was at after-school activities, sporting events, graduations, and Grandmothers’ Days for her four grandkids-the true apples of her eye. She loved babysitting, was always available for a visit or a call to catch up, and eager to give her famous, bone-crushing Grandma Hugs.

Sue was a through-and-through dog lover and gardener with a love for lilacs. She enjoyed Olive Garden Tiramisu, a vodka with club soda and a lime, a tropical vacation, a belly laugh, and feverishly reading her way through thrillers.

After retirement, she kept herself busy with trips to the library, happy hours and lunches with her many friends, staying sharp with games of dominoes, Words with Friends, and puzzles.

Sue was preceded in death by her parents, Chester and Gladys Olson; her sisters, Jane Boggs and Julie Olson (stillborn); and nephew, Anthony Boggs. She is survived by her sons, Todd (Shelly) King of Blue Mounds, Wis., and Rick King of Oconomowoc, Wis.; her grandchildren, Skyler King of Madison, Wis., Sydney King of Rochester, Minn., Lauren King of Oconomowoc, Wis., and Alyssa King of Oconomowoc, Wis.; her sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Pete Cantarelli, of Schererville, Ind.; brother-in-law, Otto Boggs of Columbia City, Ind.; and nieces and nephews, cousins, and many individuals whom she loved and was fortunate to call friends.

The family sends their heartfelt thanks to the staff and residents at Oak Park Place and the nurses at Agrace Hospice, who made Sue’s last few months so enjoyable and comfortable.

A celebration of life will take place at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, on Friday, April 17, 2026. A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the time of the funeral service beginning at 12 noon. A private interment ceremony for family will follow at Sue's final resting place.

Keep your eyes open for a cardinal-that’ll be Sue saying “hello.”

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420

Susan "Sue" Inez King

January 27, 1949 - March 23, 2026

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