Susan Colby Vandegrift

Born December 31, 1937 to David and Marcella Colby in St. Louis, Missouri, Susan was pre-deceased by her parents and also her sister Linda who died of leukemia at age 7. Susan entered into eternal life on January 12, 2023.

She is survived by her husband Charles, her son David, her daughters Linda Tuttle and Kathy Lawless, 15 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree at St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame, Indiana and taught elementary students in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she met the love of her life, Charles Vandegrift. They were married for 62 years and raised their three children in San Diego, California and Mountain Home, Arkansas before moving to the Phoenix, Arizona area where they lived for 37 years, enjoying the natural wonders of the desert and the church communities of St. Joan of Arc, St. Helen, and St. Elizabeth Seton.

After Susan got her first digital camera, and then an iPhone, she became an avid photographer of mostly people, but also other memories of her travels, even organizing many of them into slide shows, even often adding captions. This was a new talent she developed which added greatly to her joy.

Susan especially loved little children, particularly first, second, and third graders who she enjoyed teaching in school. “They are always so eager to learn,” she would say. She also just loved FUN. She formed a group of willing friends who acquired clown regalia and marched in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Phoenix under the banner “Clowns for Life”, entertaining the children in attendance and celebrating life.

She also greatly enjoyed traveling, especially the educational benefits of foreign travel with her husband after he retired, visiting several European countries as well as The Holy Land. She was especially fond of their annual visit to Hawaii and soon adopted the Hawaiian greeting of “Aloha” with almost everyone she met.

Above all, she was a “PEOPLE Person”. She loved being with people and will be missed by many people whose lives she touched.