It is with great sadness and broken hearts that the family of Susan Claire McMullen announce her unexpected passing on December 24, 2020. She slipped away peacefully at Nanaimo Regional Hospital with her husband of 50 years by her side, holding her hand. Susan was born on April 7th, 1954 at St Paul’s hospital in Vancouver, BC to Harry and Evelyn Benson.
Married to the love of her life in the summer of 1970 at St Francis in the Woods church in West Vancouver, she worked hard to put Steve through BCIT in preparation for his career in the forest industry, which would support their family. Their daughter Laura Elizabeth was born at the end of 1971, and their son James Benson Howard was born in the summer of 1974.
They lived in Mackenzie, BC from 1972 until 2009, then spent 3 years in Prince George prior to moving to Nanaimo in 2012 after Steve retired. She loved living on the West Coast near the sea.
Susan was a successful and renowned artist, travelling to New York several times to participate in events to show her sculptures. Her works are on display in museums and private collections around the world, and she was regularly featured in trade magazines.
A real ‘water-baby’, she and Steve took up scuba diving in 2000 and tallied up more than 300 dives over the next 2 decades. Susan was fearless; she dove with sharks, dolphins, sea lions, giant mantas, and other pelagic sea life in the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. Her most favourite adventure was cage diving with huge Great White Sharks.
She rode roller coasters and zip lines, just for the thrills and laughs, but also loved picking flowers from the garden and arranging them into huge bouquets.
She had an amazing sense of flamboyance and style that was present throughout every aspect of her life, from how she dressed, decorated her home, and prepared elegant feasts for her family and friends. She was a strong matriarch who was usually the instigator of every event the extended family participated in. An avid reader, she had eclectic interests and could hold her own in conversations covering an astounding range of subjects.
Susan is survived by Steve, her beloved husband of 50 years, daughter Laura (Dan), son James, granddaughter Anastasia, sister Brenda, sister-in-law Sue (Roy), brother-in-law Mike (Deb), nieces Julia and Melissa, nephews Chris and Taylor.
A celebration of Susan’s life will be held with close family members in the summer of 2021 at Brown’s Bay on Vancouver Island, a place she loved.
Susan’s family want to thank the competent and compassionate staff at Nanaimo Regional Hospital. They made a difference in her last few days by making her comfortable and showing an extraordinary amount of empathy.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18