Mary Susan Craig

Susan (Sue) Craig, was born at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California -

April 18th, 1938. She was predeceased by her mother, Mary Virginia Olson,

previously of Santa Barbara and Happy Camp, CA. Sue was surrounded by a

loving family who saw to it that she was as spoiled (in a good way!) as she was

loved.

Sue’s independent streak first glowed when her grandmother, whom she referred

to as Mom, would chastise her for some misdeed and threaten to go after her.

Sue, about 3 years old at the time, would run for her bedroom and throw herself

under her bed where Mom knew she was hiding but couldn’t get her out. That

rebellious nature never fully deserted her. She scored many firsts for getting into

trouble at a young age…for example, riding horses far and wide across the hills

of Castro Valley, testing the boundaries of her familiar territories and of Mom’s

patience.

One summer in the 50’s she spent a couple of weeks on horseback working a

cattle drive to move a herd from near Folsom (a small town at the time) to sum-

mer pastures in the High Sierra. She was in her element!

For years, she attended a Girl Scout Camp up in the glorious Redwoods. From

age 8 on into her late teens, Sue went the entire summer. They had tents but they

could also make a sleeping nest in the trunks and roots of the huge trees. She

was about as natural as they come!

She was not only California born and bred but also lived and died within her be

loved state. It suited her, especially her love of nature, everything flora and

fauna, and also her love of history: places, artifacts and tools that spoke of an

earlier time.

There was a part of Sue that could easily have been born 100 years ago and she

would have thrived: she was a cowgirl, loved everything about black-smithing,

never owned a power tool and preferred to split wood with a maul and wedges

well into her 80’s. She had vehicles but if someone else would drive, all the bet-

ter.

She never met an animal she didn’t like, except for rattlesnakes. Where ever she

went, she ended up with something in her arms or on her lap, petting, stroking,

smiling, and snuggling: dogs, cats, someone’s pet snake, interesting insects,

deer, goats, raccoons, newts, salamanders, chickens, llamas, donkeys, or

horses….All of these critters were pets at one time or another.

She graduated high school and went to San Jose State and LaVerne University

for her BA. Her first career employment was California Youth Authority and in

a few years she was the youngest Head Supervisor on the force. After several

years, she returned to Cal Lutheran for her Masters program In psychology

while working at Camarillo State Hospital as a teacher and a researcher within

the Autism Program.

Under Ivar Lovass and his Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program at

UCLA, she participated in some of the earliest educational research on behalf of

children with autism. The method of ABA and Intervention remains a standard

model for working with early autism to this day. It was also embedded in Sue’s

teaching methods when she spent another 20 years teaching children with spe-

cial needs including autism, and especially ones with reading difficulties at Gold

Oak Union School District and with the El Dorado County Office of Education.

In 1978, Sue and a cohort of friends, moved onto 70+ acres outside Placerville,

CA. They built a large geodesic dome, another country elegant home and a big

barn that was completely Women Built. There was a large organic garden, run-

ning and hiking trails on the property, and through the years it was filled with

hundreds of animals. From dogs and cats, to horses, a donkey, and a magnificent

stud llama along with milking goats and their babies, several dozen laying hens,

and a couple of attack ,geese.

Sue was an avid cheese and tofu-maker. Most people don’t know it, but warm

tofu just out of the press is about as tantalizing as freshly baked bread!

She was an active volunteer in El Dorado County. She used her many years as a

horsewoman and years of teaching to assist Kris Van Winkle with the Ride-N-

Shine program that used horseback riding to provide therapy to handicapped

and severely handicapped children.

During the 80’s and early 90’s, she was instrumental in the revitalization of the

El Dorado County Humane Society. Sue was active in many areas of the Society

from donations and sales, to the Feral Cat Spay, Neuter, and Feeding program,

and to finding homes for hundreds of homeless animals.

Sue was also a Docent at Coloma’s Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

in the Blacksmithing Shop. She had a deep love of hand wrought and used

tools. Although she came to blacksmithing as a mature adult, she loved every as-

pect of it and spent many an hour at shows, forge-in gatherings, and buying and

selling tools of the trade. Sue helped many new blacksmiths outfit new shops.

Educationally, California History is a mandated class for all 4th graders and for

most of the school year, they came by the bus loads a couple of days each week.

Her teaching and blacksmithing skills blended nicely!

Sue was always active in sports, starting as a competitive gymkhana rider, then a

catcher in softball, and she was a fearless volleyballer who dove head-first for

the dig. She also enjoyed cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and both summer

and winter camping, She and a group of friends would go tent camping in Yo-

semite Valley in the dead of winter. She loved long car trips throughout Canada

and the USA, and enjoyed international travel to Latin America, South America,

Europe and the Middle East.

One of Sue’s greatest gifts was her artistic eye that found beauty and meaning in

obscure articles of nature and humanity. She could visit an antique store, or

yard sale, or walk through someone’s barn or backyard and find something in-

credible, and walking through her home was like visiting an interestingly cu-

rated museum. Numerous talented artists and artisans loved Sue, and unsolic-

ited, they would ‘make her something’ — they really appreciated her ‘eye.’

Sue’s business card read ‘Rust-N-Dust’ which was a tongue in cheek homage to

her love of many things old.

In the mid-90’s, Sue was introduced to Buddhism by a good friend.

The calm, quiet, meditative, and self-inquiry required within Buddhism worked

for Sue. Always a person to step up and help, she had no trouble with the con-

cept of loving-kindness for all living beings. She practiced both with the Davis

Shambhala Center and a small group of Buddhist friends until her death.

Sue was a breast cancer survivor of nearly 20 years. Her later years included

facing Parkinson’s and Lewy Body with concomitant dementia. She was a

trouper and didn’t let her situation keep her from living life. What she could no

longer do alone, she did with friends or friends did for her. She took off her

boots for the final time about a week before she passed.

During a profoundly quiet moment in the middle of the night with her long-time

partner present, Sue slipped away into the Cosmos. She left us with a gentle

smile.

Sue was both a force of nature, and a quiet hero, well-remembered and beloved

by her Chosen Family and numerous friends. As she did with everything she

touched, Sue did Life, Her Way.

*****

A Celebration of Life, outdoors of course, will be held when the weather is

warmer - Sue was an outdoors woman as we all know! Keep watching this site

and as soon as we can secure a proper venue, we will post the Date, Time, and

Place. It will be towards late April when the weather warms up a bit. Bring any

Sue Snaps or Sue Stories to share!