SUSAN B. FETTER

1939 - 2014

THETFORD CENTER - Susan B. Fetter, 74, died of pancreatic cancer Friday, February 21, 2014 at her home in Rice's Mills. Susan was born in Fullerton, California, May 4, 1939, the youngest child of Donovan and Elizabeth Brunskill. After attending Fullerton High School, she earned a Bachelor's degree from UCLA in Art and Physical Education in 1961 and a teaching credential in Art Education in 1962. She was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.

She met her husband, Thomas W. Fetter, at her best friend's wedding in Claremont, California in 1961. They married in Fullerton on July 7, 1962, drove cross-country for their honeymoon, and settled in Concordville, Pennsylvania, where Susan taught art at Chichester High School. In 1965, they moved to the Rice's Mills area of Thetford Center, Vermont. Susan started weaving professionally at home. Daughter Annie was born in 1966 and daughter Martha was born in 1970.

Susan started volunteering at the Thetford Library in 1975 and served on its Board of Trustees for many years. Her life-long passion for books has been passed on to her children and grandchildren. At the time of her death, she was one of the library's longest-serving volunteers.

In 1976 she started substitute teaching at Thetford Academy in both business and art. She particularly enjoyed the art classes, especially projects such as Ukranian Easter eggs, and sharing her love for making art with the students. For many years, Susan served on the jury at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen in Hanover. In addition to selling her own hand-dyed woven mohair scarves and stoles, she helped other artists improve their skills with her thorough and thoughtful feedback. In later years she started quilting, completing works of art with unique designs and color schemes for the births and weddings of family and friends. She was working on her latest creation until two days before her death, and the family plans to complete it.

An ardent sports fan (Susan swiped the sports page from Tom on their first date), she and Tom attended many athletic events throughout their marriage, including most Thetford Academy games from 1978 to the present. Last winter, Susan was thrilled when she was honored for her loyalty to Thetford athletics at the girls' basketball Senior Night.

In 1993, Susan and Tom bought a camp on Holland Pond in northern Vermont, where they had been tent camping since 1977. When at camp, she enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, kayaking, fishing, hiking, gardening, and being involved in the Vermont Loon Recovery Program. An avid vegetable and flower gardener, Susan also loved harvesting berries, fiddlehead ferns, and interesting rocks, reading murder mysteries and detective stories, listening to jazz, bluegrass, and blues, and spending time with her family. Susan was a strong and tireless woman of few words and many deeds.

She is survived by Tom, her husband of 51 years; brother, Robert Brunskill and his wife Anna of Yorba Linda, California; sister, Ann Sparks of La Habra, California; daughter, Annie Fetter and son-in-law Steve Risberg of Rutledge, Pennsylvania; daughter, Martha Fetter, son-in-law Silas Mallery; and grandchildren, Olivia, Liam and Clare Mallery of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Other survivors include her nephews and nieces (Larry, Cindy, Jim, and Karen) and cousins (L'Cena, Una Mae, Bill, Brad, Mike, and John).

There will be a private burial in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Latham Memorial Library, PO Box 240, Thetford, VT 05074, or to Thetford Academy, PO Box 190, Thetford, VT 05074.