Susan Gail Jennings

SUSAN GAIL (WAMBACK) JENNINGS Obituary On December 23, 2022, Susan Gail (Wamback) Jennings, loving spouse/partner, Mother, Grandmother ("Nana") and Great Grandmother, passed away at the young age of sixty-seven, after a decline in physical health exacerbated by complications from cancer, lupus and long-term shingles. She was born on March 2, 1955 in Saginaw, Michigan. In 1973, Sue moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to begin her undergraduate studies at Michigan Technological University (MTU). During the summer of 1975, while working at Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior, she met her husband-to-be, Rich Jennings. They married May 31, 1976.

In May 1977, Sue graduated from MTU with a B.S. degree in Fisheries Management. The following year, she moved to Idaho with her husband Rich where, a number of years later, their two children, Paul and Kolleen, would be born. While in Idaho, Sue volunteered a few years as a fisheries technician. In 1987, the family moved to Brookings, Oregon, a small town on the coast, where Sue continued her career as a field fisheries biologist, sampling and inventorying anadromous fisheries. In 1990, the family moved to Petersburg, Alaska where Sue continued as a field fisheries biologist. After a few years she transitioned from fisheries management to become a professional writer-editor in the Forest Planning group of the Tongass National Forest, eventually becoming the Forest Planner. In 2017, Sue and Rich moved from Petersburg to Juneau, Alaska. Sue was highly respected by her peers and upper management at the Forest Service as evidenced by her last big assignment prior to retirement when, due to her exemplary skills in leading the completion of the Tongass National Forest Land Management Plan, she was tapped to lead the team working on the Chugach National Forest Land Management Plan in Anchorage, AK. The Plan was successfully completed just in time for her retirement in April 2020.

Though Sue received several prestigious awards in her career, her main priority in life was those she held close to her heart. She was always there offering support, time and love to her family and many people in the communities in which she lived. Over the course of her time in Petersburg, for example, she served as an assistant girl scout leader, President of the local Little League Association, and volunteer radio station DJ. She was also an avid quilter, erstwhile recreational volleyball player, and overall great Lady whose positive attitude, humor and generosity earned her the respect and love of many.

Sue is survived by her Mother, Betty Ann Wamback; her three sisters, Connie, Cheryl and Betty; husband, Rich Jennings; their son, Paul Jennings (Mara) Jennings; two granddaughters, Audrey and Bianka; two grandsons, Jack and Konrad; and their daughter, Kolleen Jennings. She was preceded in death by her father, Konrad Wamback.