Claire Sucsy
1936 - 2026
Yesterday I went to the memorial service for someone who meant a lot to me during my Coldwell Banker Evanston years — Claire Sucsy.
Claire wasn’t just a top producer for nearly 30 years. She was the person I watched, listened to, and learned from simply by sitting a few desks in front of her. I absorbed more from overhearing her handle clients, stress, negotiations, and everyday conversations than from any class or training I ever took.
I used to call her the velvet hammer. She had that soft Texas drawl that made everyone feel comfortable, but underneath it was steel. She was kind, she was gracious, and she was absolutely not someone you pushed around. She didn’t need to raise her voice to command a room.
Claire was generous in ways that mattered. She shared referrals. She gave newer agents open house opportunities on her endless list of listings. She mentored people quietly, without making a show of it. She helped more careers than she probably ever realized.
She eventually retired at the top of her game and moved to North Carolina to be near her daughter, Sandra, who many of us also knew from the office. Claire passed in January, and Sandra spoke at the service. She told a story that summed Claire up perfectly: a seasoned agent once lost out in a multiple‑offer situation on one of Claire’s listings. Claire called him personally to let him know, because that’s who she was, and she was so warm and apologetic that he ended up apologizing to her for not bringing a stronger offer. That was Claire. Sweet, sincere, and somehow still the one in control.
It hasn’t been that long since she was here, working alongside all of us. She was a force in this community, and she earned every bit of respect she got.
I’ll be honest, I was disappointed to see how few agents showed up. I know she passed months ago and this wasn’t the funeral, but the family was here, and it would have meant something for them to see how highly she was regarded in the place where she built her career.
Maybe that’s just me. But Claire deserved a room full of people whose lives were better because she was in them.
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