Susan S. Yates

Susan (née Gloria Susan Johnson) was born on November 30, 1931, in Alameda, CA, to parents Fern (Wight) Johnson and Paul Sterling Johnson. She spent most of her childhood in California, but as Susan herself wrote, “I lived in city apartments on both coasts, on a Midwest farm, a posh desert resort, various boarding schools, an Army base, a tiny Bavarian village, a rooming house, studios and a single-occupancy hotel” before eventually putting down roots in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, in 1973.

A long-standing Member of Actors’ Equity Association as well as the American Guild of Variety Artists, Susan was a professional singer, actor and dancer who performed in numerous shows, including Broadway productions of Wonderful Town (Ensemble) and Where’s Charley? (Ensemble) at City Center; An Evening with Cole Porter at the New York State Theater, A Salute to Rodgers & Hart at Philharmonic Hall and Rudolf Friml’s 90th Birthday for ASCAP at the Shubert Theatre. She was in the National Tour (Guber Circuit) of The Sound of Music (Elsa Schraeder), Funny Girl (Mrs. O’Malley) and Camelot (Guinevere Standby). Susan’s Regional and Summer Stock performances included On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Mrs. Hatch); Funny Girl (Mrs. O’Malley; Showgirl) at the Phoenix Star Theatre; The Three Musketeers (Friml) at ELT West, Hollywood; The Threepenny Opera (Mrs. Peachum); West Side Story (Clarice); and Once Upon a Mattress (Lady Larken Understudy, Ensemble) at the San Francisco Opera Ring; and Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown); West Side Story (Margarita); The Sound of Music (Frau Zeller, Nun); My Fair Lady (Queen of Transylvania); Bye Bye Birdie (Mrs. Merkle); and Gypsy (Maid, Showgirl) at Ben Kapen’s Melodyland, Berkeley. She made regular appearances on The Andy Williams Show (Showgirl), The Danny Thomas Show (Production Singer), and The Jack Benny Show (Dancer) in Harrah’s Club, Lake Tahoe. She was also a singer/dancer in several productions of The Music Man, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, South Pacific, Oklahoma!, Showboat, Carnival!, The Pajama Game, Bells Are Ringing and Flower Drum Song. She was also a classically trained opera singer, and performed in Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza); The Tales of Hoffmann (Giulietta); Aida (Title Role); The Marriage of Figaro (Countess); La Bohème (Mimi); The Telephone (Lucy); The Consul (Magda); Amahl and the Night Visitors (Mother) and Carmen (Frasquita).

On April 26, 1968, Susan married Gary Thomas Yates, whom she had met during a six-month Eastern tour of “Funny Girl,” and moved to Westchester County after the birth of their only child, Jennifer. Gary retired from the professional stage and became an architect, and Susan worked in the village engineer’s office in Croton-on-Hudson for 17 years.

Susan attended San Francisco State College as a theatre major in 1952, but left before completing her degree. She graduated from SUNY Empire State College with a degree in English in 1991, and earned her Master’s Degree in Writing from Manhattanville College in 1997.

After retiring from her work in the Village of Croton, Susan continued to write short stories and poems, and also collaborated on a musical, Eden’s Way (later expanded and renamed Saving Grace), with the book written by Susan and the music written by her son-in-law’s mother, Joan McPartlin.

Susan is predeceased by her mother and father, and her sister, Billie Mae Davis. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Gary Thomas Yates; her daughter, Jennifer (Yates) McPartlin, and son-in-law, Matthew McPartlin; two grandchildren, Connor and Amelia; and her niece and nephew, Leslie Davis and Mark Davis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Autism Speaks, 1060 State Rd., Second Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540 or at www.autismspeaks.org