Dear friends,
As the day has worn on, I have been unable to do anything but think about Suzanne Crough and her family. It is all quite shocking and devastating. Before I could bring myself to continue promotion on the book, I felt the need to take this extra day of silence, if you will, in memory of Suzanne.
When I first met Suzanne, she was like talking to an old friend. She had that way about her. She was instantly personable and casual. Some years later, I saw her an an autograph show, and to my surprise, she remembered me. The photo I have posted here is the one in which Suzanne signed for me that very day. Coincidentally, it was this particular day that I spoke with her about my interest in doing a book. It was just a seed in the back of my mind at the time, but she encouraged me to follow through with it. Flash forward a couple years.
When Suzanne spoke with me on the phone during our interviews, she was that same instantly casual, fun, sincere person I had met several years before. She still had that very broad sense of humor--the kind that makes you not just laugh out loud, but ROAR out loud! It is one of the things I will remember most about her. It isn't something I wrote about in the book because it is more of my own personal memory. But I find myself wanting to share it with all of you.
One time we spoke while she was in her car, and she had to put me on hold because she said she was at the Starbucks Drive-Thru. It just made me laugh for some reason. Once again, there was that quality she possessed that made you feel like you were talking with your closest of friends. She had the ability to make you feel very special.
I have no photos of The Partridge Family framed or hanging on my wall, but this photo is going to be my first. In the days and months to come, let's continue to wish the best for her family as we all remember her with our hearts.
Johnny Ray Miller