SUSAN M. SWANT

Susan M. Swant, beloved wife, mother, daughter, and friend, has left this life. A long-time student of Tibetan Buddhism, Susan passed away peacefully on December 14, 2013. at her home in Salinas, California following a courageous 5-year struggle with cancer. A graduate of North Kansas City High School and St. Mary's College of Moraga, California, Susan also was working through the Master's Degree of Public Policy program at the Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University, Monterey Bay. Susan is survived by her husband, Dennis Hungridge, her son and daughter, Russell and Audrey, and her mother, Beverly (Hayes) Jones. Susan and Beverly were on their own in the early years and, with support from both the Hayes and Swant families, Beverly guided and loved Susan, giving her a foundation of values that served her throughout her life. Susan's compassion and care for her friends and colleagues will be missed by many, perhaps none so acutely as the Dover family of Kansas City, Missouri. Susan's best friend, Connie, parents Doil and Janice, and brother Jeff have been so close to Susan as to be her family, providing guidance, love, and support in Susan's life since Susan and Connie met in their high school French class. Friends from high school, including step- brothers Craig and Kevin Jones, have remembered Susan's sweet spirit as a member of the Drama program, and her attachment to the novella, "The Little Prince". Interested friends and colleagues can read more at: www.caringbridge.org. Susan made her way to New York after high school, studying acting with Stella Adler and working in the publishing world. Her keen eye for detail and color soon had her working as a production editor, work that eventually brought her to Southern California. It was there, while living in the Silver Lake/Hollywood district, that Susan met her husband. Susan and Dennis were married under the San Francisco City Hall Dome on November 23, 1994. In recent years, Susan earned the designation of Certified Financial Planner and Enrolled Agent with the Internal Revenue Service. Susan was trained as a tax preparer and, in combination with her Management degree from St. Mary's College, had been providing tax and financial planning guidance to individuals and business owners in the offices of Rebecca Dering, CPA of Monterey, and the Housing Resource Center, a community-based organization in Salinas. We will all miss Susan's presence in the world. Susan's loyalty, integrity, and compassionate spirit infused her work and her relationships, while her sharp wit kept us all on our toes. Travel well, Sweetheart. With love, Dennis.