Susan Elizabeth Fouts

Susan Elizabeth Fouts 1968 - 2020
Boulder, CO—Surrounded by her family, Susan Elizabeth Fouts, 52, died on July 1, 2020, at her home in Boulder, Colorado.
Susan was born on April 24, 1968, in DeKalb, Illinois, the daughter of Donald E. and Janet L. Fouts.
She graduated from Springfield High School in 1986, then completed her baccalaureate degree at Loyola University of Chicago in 1990, and, later, a master's degree from the University of Texas in Austin. An accomplished linguist, Susan spent many years honing her language skills and studying and teaching English as a foreign language.in locations around the world. It was while studying in Germany that she met her future husband, Fredrik Persson of Stockholm, Sweden, who was at the time studying German in Bavaria.
There followed more foreign travel and educational adventures for the pair, taking them to Sweden, Texas, Mexico and Chile. Returning later to the Midwest, Susan taught for a time at the University of Chicago, then the couple decamped for Boulder in 1995, where she took a position at the International English Center at the University of Colorado, winding up as co-director of the Center in 2019. In that post, she supported international education as a way to promote empathy and awareness across cultures, and, in the process, impacted the lives of many students along the way.
Susan lived her life fully, with love for her husband and her children at her core. She gave her children, Anders and Eva, unique opportunities to experience life through a solid Waldorf education, enjoy hikes and sports with her parents, and participate in Kundalini yoga retreats. A very private person, yet very open and generous with others, her strength came from her sense of internal peace and strong spiritual beliefs. At the same time she had a great sense of humor and an infectious laugh that could bring the house down.
She is survived by her husband, Fredrik and two children, Eva and Anders, in Boulder; brothers Steven and Daniel in Chicago; nieces, nephews and cousins in both the United States and Sweden; extended family in both countries:, and her parents, Don and Jan Fouts, Springfield.
"Like as the waves make toward the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end; Each changing place with that which goes before. In sequent toil all forwards to contend."
--- William Shakespeare
Despite the pain of bereavement, there is hope and joy to be found as we contemplate a life well lived.