Susan J. Tallman

Susan J. (Grandfield) Tallman, age 68, of Westport, passed away Friday, January 31, 2014, at Charlton Memorial Hospital. She was the wife of Robert F. “Skip” Tallman, to whom she has been married for the past 45 years.

The daughter of Ruth E. (Field) Grandfield and the late John J. Grandfield both of Fall River, she was born in Fall River where she lived until moving to Westport in 2001. She was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

A member of the graduating class of 1963 at B.M.C. Durfee High School, she also attended Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute (currently University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth). She worked for the Fall River School Department in various capacities for more than 30 years before retiring in 2010. Her primary role with the School Department was as a Title One Math Tutor for grades 1 through 5 at the Davol Elementary School before its closing in 2007.

She enjoyed spending her free time traveling the back roads of New England and vacationing in the lakes regions of both Maine and New York. In recent years, she relished her family trips to Florida. Her interests included gardening, reading, dining out and in more recent times drawing and painting.

In addition to her husband and mother, she is survived by her daughter Kristin T. Lane and her husband Douglas M. Lane of Scituate, MA; her son Jeffrey P. Tallman and his wife Kerri Beth (Arruda) Tallman of Fall River and her grandchildren Owen Patrick Tallman and Sadie Miller Tallman.

Her visiting hours will be held Wednesday, February 5, 2014 from 4:00 to 7:00PM in the WARING-SULLIVAN HOME OF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE at CHERRY PLACE, 178 Winter St., Fall River. Relatives and friends invited. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Pan Mass Challenge (Rider # 58121-5) 77 Fourth Ave., Needham, MA 02494; or to Forever Paws, 300 Lynwood St., Fall River, MA 02721. Burial private.

The family wishes to extend a special thanks to the doctors and medical staff who treated her during her illness. In particular, her oncologist at Dana Farber, Daniel Morganstern, M.D.; Michelle Ciszewski, N.P.; Nick Mucciardi, M.D. and Gail Ferreira, R.N.