Suzanne Lange Schmelter

Suzanne L. Schmelter   Suzanne L. Schmelter, esq.,64, passed away peacefully in her home in Prescott on  Wednesday, January 6, 2010.  She was born in Bloomington, Illinois on October 28, 1945 to David and Alice Lange.  When she was 2 years old, her family moved to Prescott.   Suzanne was a wife, mother and grandmother who loved her family very much.  She had a warm and giving heart, an intelligent mind and was full of life and energy.  She gladly took in all kinds of strays--animals, plants and people alike.    She was especially concerned about troubled teens and wanted to help get them back on track.  When she was 39 she was accepted to University of Denver law school.  Prior to this, she was a busy wife, mother and graduate student at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.  She also had a variety of careers, including "econometrist" for Northwestern Bell  in Omaha, Nebraska and a business school professor in Denver, Colorado.    Because of her compassion for the disadvantaged, upon completing her law degree, she became a public defender and worked in Philadelphia, New Jersey and the southern district of Illinois.  Her favorite court to work in was teen court, where she felt she had an opportunity to turn kids' lives around.  Suzanne returned to Prescott in June of 2000 and began working as a county prosecutor and defense attorney in Camp Verde. She also taught at Tri-City Prep High School. In addition to all of this, she volunteered as a teen court judge once a month. Most recently she worked as a volunteer deputy county prosecutor.   As a mother and grandmother, Suzanne was very loving, kind and generous.  Her grandchildren were the highlights of her life.  She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and enjoyed cooking, reading, gardening and tending to her chickens and various other pets.  She recently began taking guitar lessons and was preparing to begin art classes with her husband.   She is survived by her husband, Ray; daughter, Kristen (Matt) Dicker of Prescott; her two sons: Jeff Schmelter of Phoenix, Arizona and Ted (Jenn) Schmelter of Lawrenceville, New Jersey; five grandchildren: Jackson, Sydney, Brendan, Leah and Cameron; mother, Alice and father David Lange of Prescott; brothers:  Dave (Georgia) Lange of Prescott and Dan (Ann) Lange of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and many nieces and nephews.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Turning Point Youth Crisis Shelter and Hotline, www.openinn.org