SUSAN DILLON

1917 - 2019

DILLON--Susan Slater, 101, dies. Surrounded by devotion and love, Susan Slater Dillon died gratefully and peacefully on the morning of January 18th in Hobe Sound, Florida, at the age of 101. A woman of exceptional style, beauty and talent, she lived a full and multifaceted life. Born August 21, 1917 to Mr. and Mrs. Chester Arthur Slater, Susan was the youngest of three children and grew up with her siblings in Washington, DC. She went on to study at George Washington University. In her later years, Susan often reflected that she led four different lives within her 101 years. Each life was defined by the distinctive eras in which she was married to four worldly and sophisticated men. Her first marriage, in 1939, was to bon vivant, Ted Bassett of Rye, New York, which ended in divorce. In 1949, Susan met and married Scotland's equivalent of Fred Astaire, the debonair actor, singer and dancer, Jack Buchanan. After Mr. Buchanan's death in 1957, was a four year break of widowhood, work and travel. In 1961, Susan settled into country life with sportsman, DeWitt Sage, in Greenspring Valley, Maryland. She was widowed in 1982. In 1983 she began her life with her soulmate and Leo twin, the Honorable C. Douglas Dillon. Together, the Dillons were prominent philanthropists of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Throughout her adult life, Susan met and entertained dignitaries including several presidents of the United States, the Emperor of Japan and several members of the British Royal Family. From these many lives, she had a vast scope to draw upon. Her writings throughout her long and varied life are part anecdotal essay and part memoir. All are vividly deployed and clearly bespoke of a bygone era. Known to many as Suzzie, and Grandsue to her grandchildren and great- grandchildren, she will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by friends and family alike for her grace, flair and lively sense of humor. Mrs. Dillon is survived by her daughter, Theodora Bassett Corroon, two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.