Sue Ann (Serenella) Childs

Sue Ann Serenella Childs, 70, of Hazle Twp., beloved wife and mother, passed away Saturday afternoon at Hershey Medical Center due to complications of an inoperable infection.  She was surrounded by her immediate family in her final hours and at the time of her passing.

Born in Pittsburgh on October 16, 1947, she was the daughter of the late Ernesto and Alda (Conforti) Serenella of Morgantown, WV, where she was raised and attended college.  She spent the last 43 years living in Hazle Twp., where she shared a home with her husband. 

Sue was an office manager at, and the co-founder, of her husband’s pediatric practice in Hazleton.  In addition to her professional pursuits, she was endlessly supportive of her husband in his tenure on the Hazleton Area School Board, serving as a pillar of moral support, personal confidant, and impromptu press officer.  She completed her Bachelor’s degree in journalism at West Virginia University in 1969, and went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Hospital Administration from Penn State University in 1974.   Sue was passionate about her involvement with many philanthropic pursuits over the course of her life.  She served on the executive board of the Pennsylvania Theatre of Performing Arts in Hazleton for a number of years, where she also worked in publicity and was the head cook for dinner theatre productions.  She touched the lives of others through her talents in the kitchen by preparing meals for the Divine Providence Homeless Shelter and for the Salvation Army in Hazleton.  She spent several years volunteering at, and eventually running, the concession stand at Harman-Geist Stadium as a fundraiser for the high school marching band.  She also lent her managerial talents to a series of local gymnastics schools.

She was preceded in death, by a brother, Ernest Serenella in 2008, and by her parents.

Surviving are her loving husband, Dr. Robert W. Childs to whom she would have been married 50 years on June 8, 2018; two daughters, Erin Elizabeth Childs, Pittsburgh; and Kathleen Noelle Childs, Bloomsburg; three granddaughters, Riley, Jordan, and Dyllan Childs; and many beloved extended family members.

Services will take place with a visitation Wednesday evening from 6 to 9 PM at Harman Funeral Homes & Crematory Inc. (East), 669 West Butler Drive, Drums. Burial will take place privately on Thursday in Mt. Laurel Memorial Park, Hazleton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in memory of Sue may be made to the Pennsylvania Theater of Performing Arts, 212 West Broad St., Hazleton, PA 18201.

Online condolences may be entered and more information is available at www.harmanfuneral.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Sue Ann (Serenella) Childs, please visit our floral store.