A consummate team member, Susan consistently gave much while demanding nothing in return. She vigorously avoided the spotlight and was delighted to simply be a part of our team. There was a deep sense that she relished the opportunity to be with us.

Beneath the shy, retiring exterior was a woman who thought deeply about many issues and cared passionately about goodness, decency, compassion, and fair play. In her own quiet way, she went about enhancing all our lives.

It may come as a surprise to some, but Susan also possessed a keen though wry sense of humor, the subtle irony of which may perhaps have been cultivated during years of what seemed from the outside to be a rather prosaic and solitary existence. Often, while sitting beside her on the bandstand at Stardust gigs, I would overhear her whisper clever, witty asides to no one in particular, as if entertaining her own secluded counsel was sufficient gratification for her.

I will mourn each time I see the empty chair but am comforted that her suffering has now ended and that she is today in a very good place indeed, surrounded by warmth, love, and a hearty “welcome home.”

craig buhler