Obituary of Susan McEachan

View Video Tribute Susan “Susieâ€? McEachan passed away Thursday, March 12, 2009, at the age of 64. Susan Elizabeth Atkinson was born on August 31, 1944, the younger of two daughters, in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She was raised by a loving mother and father to whom she enjoyed a close relationship with until the time of their passing. Her older sister, Barbara lives in the city of their birth to this day. A very popular young woman, Sue was loved by all who met her. While working at Ford Motor Company, she met a young man named Tom McEachan. After seeing her in the hallway at the office, Tom told a co-worker, “I’m going to marry that girl.â€? Tom asked her out and Sue reluctantly accepted a date with him. They were together ever since. After just three months of dating, they eloped to Chicago and the rest is history. Their daughters came into their lives one by one as they moved around Michigan. Sue was a dedicated stay at home mom during those years and had a few jobs here and there whenever the family needed the extra income. She made her girls’ clothes and Halloween costumes, went snowmobiling, loved to bowl, and played bingo with her mom. She loved books and was an avid reader. In the late ‘70s, Sue and her family moved out west, first to Arizona for a few years before relocating to New Mexico where she and her husband opened a print shop. Tom was the pressman and Sue was everything else; the accountant, front clerk, bill collector. They worked tirelessly for several years, making their business a success, but Sue never lost focus of what was really important, and that was her family. She loved weekend outings camping under the stars, played a lot of board games and enjoyed playing Euchre, a popular card game she learned in Michigan. She prided herself on home cooked meals eaten at the table with the family every night. She always made sure her family gave thanks before eating. In 1985, Tom and Sue decided that owning their own business took them away from their family too often. They sold the thriving business they’d built and moved back to Arizona. Once there, Tom found a job in sales and Sue began what would become a 20 year career with AT&T. Sue’s position required the family to move several times over the course of her career, moving to Colorado in 1988, back to Arizona in 1999, then Oklahoma in 2001. She retired in 2006, and she and Tom returned to Colorado, wanting to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They made their home in the town of Arriba. Sue loved living in the small community and made many wonderful friends. Sue is survived by her loving spouse, Tom, her three daughters, Lisa Chavez of Albuquerque, NM, Colleen Fox of Parker, and Joey (Stephen) Kellogg of Littleton, and her six grandchildren. She will be missed by many. Memorial services for Susan will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 11a.m. at The First Congregational Church in Arriba, Colorado. Memorials may be made to the Gary L. and Thelissa Zollinger Early Detection of Lung Cancer Endowment c/o "The CU Foundation" University of Colorado Foundation PO Box 17126 Denver, CO 80217-9155.