Editor’s note: RL Crabb posted this sad news here this afternoon:
“Mama Su Morgan DeCorte passed away at 3:30 pm at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital in Grass Valley. She had recently been transferred there from UC Davis, after a series of operations to remove cancerous tumors.
“Locals will remember Su’ s restaurant, the Squeeze Inn on South Pine St., where she served up some of the best Mexican food on the planet. After the Squeeze closed, Su moved to Utah to care for her mother.
“After her mother’s passing, she returned to her Yuba River cabin and gold mining claim near Washington, and a few years later, she married Hank DeCorte and together they restored the historical Washington Hotel.
“Not many people knew this, but Su was also the voice of Suzy Creamcheese on The Mother’s of Invention album, Absoluely Free. She was a dear friend, and her passing will leave a huge gaping hole in the little town of Washington, and Nevada County.”
Thank you RL.
BTW, I found this mention of Mama Su Morgan DeCorte and mysterious guests appearing at the Washington Hotel in the Sacramento Bee, originally published on Oct. 31 1999. It is here.
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Many fond memories squeezing in at her counter on N.Pine. Great lady, awesome food, RIP Mama Su.
My sympathies on your loss.
And just to add the the legacy of Mama Su….her Squeeze In cafe was where Pine St. Cafe is now. And for those that here at the time…remember Mama Su’s salsa!!! Yeah…that was the stuff. And she was always so dear….what a great lady!
No, it was next door to the South Pine Cafe, in a tiny little space, and that is why it was called the Squeeze Inn. After she closed the Squeeze she made the best salsa available and sold it through the local markets. She will be missed.
Anyone part of Mothers of Invention gets a patent on the back from me. Sorry I missed out on her, other than the soundtrack.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/keachie/394220252/
Wow…immortalized as part of the Mothers of Invention. Have a great journey Mama Su….
Blissful rest to you, Su. We’ll all miss you.
Mama Sue, wrist wrist, elbow elbow, I hope they have lots of chocolate on the other side. LYNBS
The Squeeze Inn was located next to where the Pine St. Cafe is now. In earlier times it was known as Pearl’s Cozy Spot, and if I remember correctly, the maximum seating capacity was 16. When Su moved in, she added her own touches, such as a few silver dollars glued to the floor to befuddle customers.
Also, when Su told me she was moving into Pearl’s, she asked me to make a sign to hang on the street. I took a heavy chunk of pine and created a logo with two big hands squeezing the letters together. (Never would have passed muster with the planning commission these days.)
After she moved out, Su stored the sign in her cabin on the Yuba River while she tended to her mother in Utah. During her absence, someone broke in and stole it.
Last summer, while I was having lunch on the deck of the Washington Hotel, Su came out and asked me to follow her into the dining room. There, a little scuffed up and paint a little peeled, was the sign! Someone had found it on the side of Maybert Road and brought in to the hotel.
As far as I know, the mystery of where the sign spent all those years has never been solved. The important thing is, it came home, much to the delight of its owner.
we knew sue for almost 30 years. she invited us to her cabin on summer nights for swimming and stories of the old towns in the area. my son knew her since he was 3 months old. he would sit at the restaurant in his carry all and watch sue cook. i missed seeing her in the last few weeks and this news sits heavy on my heart. i will miss your smile and laugh very much…….
I hope somebody did an oral history with her, and the rest of you old timers, take the time to get it down in an audio file. 10,000 folks once lived in North San Juan, and hardly anything is left of how they lived. I’ve done searches at the local historical libraries, and the California Historic Society.
I have many fond memories of Mama Su & the Squeeze Inn during the early 80′s. I had a 6:00 morning broadcast slot at KVMR and would head over to the “Squeeze” after my shift. Su always was a a welcome ray of sunshine and a mischevious prankster as well (I remember the trick mustard and ketchup containers that she would ambush unsuspecting customers with!). May she continue to bring joy and frivolity into her next incarnation.
I love reading your comments here. Mama Su was my mommy. I miss her more every single day. Love, Jodi Su