SUSAN LOUISE McFARLAND

McFARLAND, SUSAN LOUISE Aug. 20, 1943 to Oct. 24, 2010 Susan McFarland, 67, passed away on October 24, 2010 in San Diego from heart failure. She grew up in Imperial Valley, attending school in El Centro and Imperial, graduating from Imperial High School. She earned a BS in nursing and an MA in education, and worked as a public health nurse for San Diego County. She left public health to spent one year in Ganado, AZ, working for Project Hope as a home health nurse on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Upon returning to San Diego, she spent a number of years as a home health coordinator for UCSD Medical Center, taught at the UCSD School of Medicine and San Diego Community College. After leaving the reservation, she was instrumental in gathering donations of clothing, food and money that were sent to the Navajo Indians for several years. Because of her efforts in various community organizations, she was recognized as San Diego County Citizen of the Month. For many years, she loved riding her horse, Lucky, and took him with her to the reservation to ride in her spare time. For several summers, she took him up to the Sierra Mountains to ride with a group of horsemen accompanied by a niece and nephew. She loved her family and always encouraged everyone to attend family gatherings. She had many friends both in San Diego and Imperial. She was preceded in death by her parents, M. L. (Mac) and Laura McFarland. Susan is survived by her brother, Robert (Pat) McFarland; sisters, Phyllis Thompson and Mary Grover; and several nieces and nephews. Graveside services will be held on Saturday, November 20, at Evergreen Cemetery at 201 E. Gillett Rd., El Centro, CA at 9:45 a.m. Flowers may be sent to the cemetery for the service, or donations made to the Humane Society of Imperial County at 1575 W. Pico Ave., El Centro.