Ian Mohr | Contributor
She may have been more known for high heels, but Suzanne Somers was laid to rest in a pair of Timberland boots. Said a pal of the significance of the footwear, customized with loving messages from her devoted hubby of more than 45 years: “They loved to go hiking all the time, they loved the mountains.
He at some point, he gave those to her and personalized them for her.” Husband Alan Hamel had written on the boots colorful messages including “In Love Forever,” “We Are One” and even “Twice a Day,” seemingly referring to the couple’s legendary lovemaking habits .
The “Three’s Company” icon, who died Oct. 15 at age 76 after battling cancer , was lovingly remembered at a Palm Springs, Calif., celebration of her life. The program proclaimed Somers “Our brightest star” and included an illustration of her made by daughter Leslie Hamel. It also quoted Somers: “It’s not who you are. It’s not what you have.
It’s not what you do. It’s only about who you love and who loves you . . . and I love you.” Guests included friends, family and area resident and billionaire Charles Koch. Hamel, 87, told us, “Suzanne loved cocktail parties, and we threw her a great one at Stone Eagle club in Palm Desert.” Guests were asked to dress in “colorful cocktail attire with sparkles and feathers in true Suzanne fashion.”
The theme was Tequila & Tributes, and there was an “hourlong program with videos of Suzanne singing, toasts from her family, montages of her career, a beautiful performance by her granddaughter Daisy, and family photos and memories.” We hear Somers’ son, Bruce, emceed, and tables were “covered in Suzanne’s signature pink roses.” Guests were given holiday candles in Somers’ fave scent, Floating Gardenia, as well as bracelets with a quote from the star. Said a friend, “Alan was upbeat and happy and only broke town in tears when he read the last love letter he wrote to Suzanne that closed the evening.”
Also speaking at the memorial were family members including Caroline, Camelia and Violet Somers, as well as Ziane Hamel, and Somers’ siblings Daniel Mahoney and Maureen Gilmartin. We hear that Bruce said of his mom, “When my mother talked to you, she made you feel like a million bucks.
Her secret power was the ability to make you feel loved.” Somers was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 50s after battling skin cancer in her 30s, along with “severe hyperplasia” in her uterus, we previously reported. “Even when I was Chrissy on ‘Three’s Company,’ I had had cancer three times,” Somers told CBS News in 2020 .
She had said her longevity was thanks to a healthy lifestyle . She passed just one day before her 77th birthday . “Thank you for the out-pouring of love and affection for Suzanne,” the family captioned the sweet video shared to Suzanne’s Instagram when they gathered to celebrate her birthday after she had passed peacefully at home.
Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle