Obituary of Susan Hartley

We lost our beloved Susan—wife, Mom, and sister—on August 24, 2023, to a hard fight with cancer and chemotherapy seventy-seven years after she was born to Richard and Nancy Rice in Danbury, Connecticut. During those decades, she became a softball player, an accomplished pianist, and a hard-working gardener. She earned her BA in geology from Carleton College in Northfield MN and her MS in geological sciences from the University of Washington in Seattle. At Carleton she met Alan, whom she married in 1969. Until Andrew and Kate were born, she worked as an exploration geologist in northern Minnesota, a National Park Service ranger on Isle Royale, and an occasional deck hand on the passenger vessel Wenonah from Grand Portage to Isle Royale. She later began her chosen career, teaching geology, geography, and astronomy from middle school to Lake Superior College, the University of Minnesota Duluth, and the College of Saint Scholastica, devoting limitless energy to her students and making many friends along the way. She was an important part of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, especially in the Altar Guild.

Susan’s parents and her brother Richard died before her. She is survived by her husband Alan, her son Andrew (Rachael), her daughter Kate (Jason), her brother Bill and his wife Barb and their daughters Laura and Kristin, and her devoted cat Binx.

Susan asked that there be no church service but that she remain always part of her circle of family and friends. She also wanted to say how grateful she was for the exceptional care she received from the staff of St. Luke’s oncology and hospice departments. Susan requested that those who wish to make memorials contribute to Second Harvest Northern Lakes Foodbank and Animal Allies Humane Society, both in Duluth.