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Sue Storm, former Kansas state rep and JoCo teacher, dies at 81

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Suzanne “Sue” Storm, a former state representative and state board of education member from Johnson County, has died at the age of 81.

Catch up quick: According to her obituary, Storm “passed away peacefully” on Thanksgiving morning in Charlotte, N.C., where her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren live.

  • Funeral services were held on Thursday, Dec. 1, at Second Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Mo.

Storm was a presence in a Topeka for more than a decade, serving as a Democratic state representative from Overland Park from 1997 to 2008.

  • She then went on to serve one term on the Kansas State Board of Education from 2009 to 2013.
  • During her time in the Legislature, Storm championed House Bill 2145, which allowed “undocumented students to receive in-state tuition at Kansas colleges and universities,” according to her obituary.

Storm, born in Spokane, Wash. in 1941, earned a degree from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., in 1963 and a master’s from the University of Kansas in 1984.

  • Before running for elected office, Storm was a teacher for more than 30 years in both high school and special education.
  • She sat on the board of directors for the Kansas National Education Association from 1990 to 1996 and served as president of NEA-Shawnee Mission from 1992 to 1996.

In her personal life, her obituary says, she loved her pet cats and her flower garden.

  • She was also active in her church, serving as a deacon and singing in the choir.

Key quote: “I’m saddened to hear about the passing of Sue Storm, one of our community’s greatest representatives over the years,” Overland Park Councilmember Logan Heley wrote on Facebook. “After serving many years in the Kansas House and a term on the Kansas Board of Education, she stayed involved by helping other responsible candidates, like me, seek elected office. My thoughts are with her family. I was glad to know her for the time I was allowed.”

About the author

Juliana Garcia
Juliana Garcia

👋 Hi! I’m Juliana Garcia, and I cover Prairie Village and northeast Johnson County for the Johnson County Post.

I grew up in Roeland Park and graduated from Shawnee Mission North before going on to the University of Kansas, where I wrote for the University Daily Kansan and earned my bachelor’s degree in  journalism. Prior to joining the Post in 2019, I worked as an intern at the Kansas City Business Journal.

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