(KENDALLVILLE) - Former Kendallville Mayor Wilma SuzAnne Handshoe has died.
Handshoe passed away June 29 at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis, surrounded by her family, following a long battle with cancer. She was 66.
Handshoe was Kendallville's first and only female mayor. She was elected in 2003 and served five terms from 2004 through 2023. She retired in 2024 to focus on her health after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2016.
A Career Of Service
Before leading Kendallville, Handshoe served in the United States Marine Corps.
She joined the Marines in 1979, served 11 years on active duty and retired from the Marine reserves as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in 2003.
During her military career, Handshoe became the first woman to graduate from Water Safety Survival School and become a Water Safety Survival Instructor.
She served at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii, Camp Kinser in Okinawa, Japan, and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. She also deployed to Desert Storm and served as a Casualty Assistance Officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Family And Community
Handshoe was born June 26, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan, to Floyd Collins Lilley and Martha Head Lilley.
She graduated from East Detroit High School in 1978 and later earned an associate's degree in organizational leadership and management from Purdue University Fort Wayne.
She married Randy Darrell Handshoe on July 28, 1990, in South Milford.
Handshoe is survived by her husband, Randy Handshoe of Kendallville; daughter Christina and Dexter Hawkins of Butler; son Brice and Samantha Handshoe of Kendallville; four grandchildren, Kensley Handshoe, Brylee Handshoe, Laykn Handshoe and Conner Handshoe; her mother, Martha Lilley of Detroit; and brother H.T. Huchi of Jacksonville, North Carolina.
She was preceded in death by her father, Floyd Lilley, and brother Phillip Lilley.
Services
Visitation will be held Monday, July 6, from 2 to 7 p.m. at Hite Funeral Home in Kendallville.
Funeral services will take place Tuesday, July 7, at 11 a.m. at Hite Funeral Home, with Pastor Brian Walter officiating.
Burial with military honors will follow at Lake View Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana.