Susan Goschie Denny passed peacefully on April 23, 2014 knowing her friends and family will carry on a good, full life.
She spent her last moments in serenity at her home, sunlight pouring through the windows and a new vineyard in the background. She was surrounded by beautiful art, beautiful music and the people who loved her.
Susan was born to farmer Herman Goschie and his loving wife Vernice on Jan. 21, 1947.
From the moment she was born, she brought joy to those whose life she bounded through. She graduated from Silverton High School in 1965. Eager to explore the world, she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology at Lewis and Clark College in a less than three years.
A brief stint in social work followed, but the small-town girl found herself a little shell-shocked by big-city problems. She made a fashionable spin into the Meier and Frank Co.
Susan quickly worked her way through the ranks to become the company’s Fashion and Merchandising Director, where she rubbed elbows with Portland’s “ladies who lunch.”
Seeking a change of pace, she did another about face and retreated to Central Oregon, where she lived in a teepee and spent countless hours on the Metolius breathing in the majesty of nature.
Eventually, Susan would whirl back to Portland where she co-owned the Goschie-Levy Advertising Agency.
In her later professional years she returned to her hometown and served as Marketing and Communications Director for Silverton Health – where she would argue she did her best work. She entered what she called ‘retirement” a few years ago, but remained as enthusiastic and active as ever.
Indeed, Susan accomplished more in a too-short lifetime than most of us could ever dream of accomplishing.
A consummate adventurer, she saw the world several times over and still wanted to keep exploring.
Susan filled her life with fabulous art and fabulous people, hosting joyous gatherings at her gorgeous home . Though her branches stretched around the planet, she kept roots at the farm where she spent her earliest years and was always nearby to lend a hand.
At the family’s farm, she was especially appreciated for her vision in designing the most beautiful tablesettings the Willamette Valley.
Susan was a zealous cheerleader for and supporter of everyone she loved (particularly her family) and made those she talked to feel fascinating.
She leaves behind her sister Gayle, her brothers Gordon and Glenn (and their wives Sandra and Amy), her nephews Dallas and Riley, her smart and colorful collection of friends, her spirited companion Cocoa Chanel, and her late-life husband and high school/college sweetheart Richard Denny, the love of her life.
Her laughter, which could flood a room; her out-of-this-world imagination; her insatiable, often-overwhelming curiosity; and her mind-blowing wisdom will be missed.
It is heartbreaking to imagine a world without Susan, but in life and beyond she inspired and will continue to inspire those who knew her to learn, live, and love more deeply and completely.
Susan’s life will be celebrated at a graveside ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3 at the Miller Cemetery on Herigstad Road and Highway 213.
Her family requests any gifts be made in the form of a donation to Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA) or the Silverton Health Foundation, two of her favorite charitable organizations, in her name.
