Susan Wirth obituary, 1946-2017, Milwaukee, WI

In memory of

Susan Wirth

1946 - 2017

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Martin

May 8, 2025

Susan, the pen community misses you as do I. RIP

Martin Ferguson

May 8, 2023

Miss our conversations about pens and the history of the Parker pen company.

Karen Masel

February 28, 2023

Susan was a fine lady who tried to help me with fountain pens!

Raymond Johnson

May 8, 2019

Susan, Your smile, laughter and love of fountain pens is sorely missed. I think of you frequently.

Rest well my friend,

Ray Johnson
Greensboro NC

Raymond Johnson

March 1, 2019

Missing you Susan
We will meet again. I can't wait to see your HEAVENLY collection of supernatural fountain pens.
Ray Johnson - New Jersey and NC

May 4, 2018

I only met Susan twice (at the Philadelphia pen show), but she was delightful - honest, knowledgeable, and great fun to talk to. I am so sorry to learn of her passing.

- Sibelan Forrester

Scott Gitlen

August 14, 2017

Fred and Toby Perkins

July 15, 2017

Our hearts are broken to learn of the loss of a good friend. Susan had a passion and energy to share her great knowledge with us all. Susan, you are greatly missed dear friend.

Toby and Fred Perkins

July 15, 2017

Our hearts are broken to learn of the loss of a dear friend who always seemed to have a great deal of passionate energy to share her knowledge with us all. We will miss you greatly, Susan!

Bill Zeeble

June 30, 2017

Oh NO! This is a real loss to our pen collector and user world. Among the fiercest advocates for fountain pens in the shows where I would meet and admire her (mostly in Dallas), Susan had knowledge, sass and spunk and left an unforgettable impression on those she encountered. Need to know something? She could help. Meet someone wanting more information about fountain pens that you could not answer? "Visit Susan Wirth's - she'll help." She had opinions, you knew them, because she made sure of it. Disagree with her? No problem. She knew her ground and held it firmly. That's admirable in any endeavor and I will miss her at every show I attend, from here on out.

Kate Marshall

June 23, 2017

She was so nice and helpful at the Philly pen shows especially when I didn't have a clue about vintage pens! Visiting her table was always a highlight of the show. She will be greatly missed :(

Allen Gersh

June 20, 2017

She connected with everyone that she talked to. She helped my children and grandchild pick their first pens. She was full of enthusiasm yet objective and focused. She made a difference.

Seth Guggenheim

June 11, 2017

Susan was kind enough to give the DC Metro Pen Club an interesting lecture several years ago toward the end of the show. An engaging, and gracious woman, who deserves every bit of the respect she is receiving on these pages. I am so sorry.

Seth Guggenheim
Washington, DC

Geoffrey Parker

May 26, 2017

Looking back, it almost seems that Susan and I were destined to meet. Our mutual passion for any and all things "PARKER" served as prologue to many, many fascinating conversations. And I hoped there would be many more to follow. I - we - are now left to cherish those memories. Those memories now serve as the perfect signature to a life well-lived.

John Blackburn

May 25, 2017

i just learned of susan's passing while watching brian and lisa anderson's weekly pen video, and i interrupt my watching to write and extend my sincere condolences to her family and friends... i met susan at the first pen show i attended here in columbus, ohio in 2014... i remember feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the pen show, but i was able to get over that when susan introduced herself to me at her booth... of course, my first impression of her was that both of her hands were completely stained by ink!... but i got over that quickly... she was like your best teacher on the first day in a class that is your favorite subject in school... when i explained what i was looking for (a flex pen), she shared her knowledge in a manner that was at once practical and memorable... the first thing she did was she asked to see how i wrote... and then she took it from there... i started learning the importance of things that i had not known previously as she spent more than a little time and shared so much of her knowledge... one could not help but come away from that encounter with an impression of her great spirit, her outgoing personality, her intelligence, her kindness... i did not know susan wirth well, but i know this: there are some people in this world who are described as larger than life, and susan is one such person...

Daphne Freeman

May 19, 2017

I met Susan at the Atlanta pen show this year. She was a fascinating lady and we had an amazing conversation about italics, stubs and flex pens. She was the most knowledgeable person I have ever spoken to in the world of pens and she had an incredible personality. I still have the paper I wrote on trying her pens. I feel very lucky to have met her. She will be missed.

So sad to hear of Susan's passing. I know that she and John had a wonderful relationship, and he will miss her very much.

Jerry Grillo

May 19, 2017

Sandy Andina

May 18, 2017

I probably have more of Susan's pens than many people have pens in their entire collection. She and John sent me a lovely postcard which arrived the Friday of the Chicago show, and I will be kicking myself through eternity for not going to see her one more time. Her appearance on Oprah probably created thousands of new penthusiasts. She was kind and eager to share her expertiseand she mixed a mean Margarita. Tradition has it that every Rosh Hashonah souls are inscribed in the Book of Life. Heaven now has one helluva new scribe. May her memory be for as much of a blessing as her life has been.

May 17, 2017

I URGE SUSAN'S MANY MOURNERS NOT TO MISS THE VERY FINE 70-MINUTE INTERVIEW OF SUSAN THAT CAN BE FOUND AT THE "FPGEEKS" WEB SITE. IT COVERS A LOT OF TERRITORY, AND REALLY GETS INTO SUSAN'S COMPLEX MIND!

Allan Wirth

Dave Ruderman

May 16, 2017

Fond memories of Susan's knowledge, wit and warmth. It was a pleasure to have known her, we will miss her.
Kindest regards to all,
Dave Ruderman
PARKER Pen 1976 - 2011

Linda Bauer

May 15, 2017

She stopped and spoke with me during the Chicago Pen Show recently. I was so saddened to hear of her passing.

Write on, Susan!

Mishelle Reine

May 15, 2017

I've had the chance to meet her twice at the Colorado Pen Show. I found her fascinating, and intriguing. I wish I had spent more time at her table last year since I won't be able to this year. I felt that this year I finally knew just enough to work with her to find the right pen for my hand. Every time I write with my italics she will come to mind.

m b

May 15, 2017

Susan was very sweet and attentive with her customers. Nonstop energy at the pen shows! A joy to shop with and learn from.

May 15, 2017

What a sad loss. She taught me all I appreciate and love about italic fountain pens. Will miss her greatly. She was a one of a kind angel.

Michael Koenig

Ruth Gallatin-Bock

May 15, 2017

She was a class mate and fellow cellist at Wauwatosa East High School. Excellent cellist!
I'm so sorry to hear of her passing. Rest in peace, Sue.

May 15, 2017

Susan was a very warm, kind-hearted friend who took care of a lot of people but who never sought any credit for all the nice things that she did. She was a tireless promoter of pen shows and offered to help in any way that she could. Many may not remember that she was the first local chapter chair for the Pen Fancier's Club and that here picture appears in an early edition when she was a star of Milwaukee television.

chris wirth

May 14, 2017

My aunt Susan was special to me. I have fond and interesting memories of her. She took me to the movie premiere of West Side Story at the Grand theatre in Milwaukee when I was ten years old. I stripped the paint off the copper gutters of her stunning Zagel home at 53rd and Garfield when I was twenty two. She was a brilliant and fascinating person who enriched my life. She was always good to me.

Krista Phillips

May 14, 2017

She was truly one of a kind! Pen shows just won't be the same without her.

Sharon Abar

May 14, 2017

I was heartbroken to hear that Susan Wirth had passed away. I saw her every year at the Los Angeles Pen Angeles Pen Show. I purchased several pens from her over the years and for the past few years worked at her table in LA and in Philly, too, this year since I was there visiting my family. She was so warm and funny and passionate about pens and beloved in the fountain pen community. She embraced the online pen community even though she was an old timer at pen shows. She especially loved to share her fountain pen knowledge with young people. I learned a lot from her about living your passion and not letting people stop you. She lived the Ayn Rand quote, "It's not who's going to let me, but who's going to stop me." I'm a permission seeker myself and strive to be more like her. I will miss her very much and am grateful that I got to know her and be her friend.

Sharon Abar

May 14, 2017

I was heartbroken to hear that Susan Wirth had passed. I loved seeing her at the Los Angeles Pen Show every year. I purchased several pens from her over the years and for the past few years have worked at her table in LA. This year in Philly, too, since I was there visiting my family. She was so passionate about pens and beloved in the fountain pen community, She embraced the online pen community even though she was an old timer at pen shows. She especially loved to share her fountain pen knowledge with young people. I learned a lot from her about living your passion and not letting people stop you. She lived the Ayn Rand quote. "It's not who's going to let me, but who's going to stop me." I'm a permission seeker myself and need to be more like her. I will miss her very much and am grateful that I got to know her and be her friend.

Ellen Kozak

May 14, 2017

I'm sure the kitties were there to greet her-- and I have no doubt but that Susan has managed to bring some of her trusty traveling tools with her, and has already opened a window that Management had decided should remain shut.

The world is poorer for her absence, but the Universe is better for her having been in it.

Hope Wilkes

May 14, 2017

Bought my first Fountain Pen from Susan about 10 years ago. Liked her the minute we met. So very sad to hear the news of her passing. Went to her home once and she taught me a lot about pens. Such a fun person and not fair that we will no longer see her at shows. No one could ever replace her.

Photo by Phil Ross.

Susan & Glen Bowen

May 14, 2017

I have many fun memories of Susan Wirth. All of us in the pen community are indebted to her contributions to pen history and the culture of handwriting. She was a highlight of every pen show and always made her customers and pen friends feel like they were the only person in the room. We will cherish her friendship and many fond memories.

Bjor Burklund Kolker

May 14, 2017

Meow.
Susan was a good kitty.
She was an inspiration and a mentor for me.
She will never be forgotten.
- Bjor Burklund Kolker

Stephen Mandell

May 14, 2017

Dearest Susan,
I will miss you forever from the deepest caverns of my heart. You were always there, every show. What is the Pen World going to do without our Pen Lady the Pen Icon? We will carry on but there will be a gigantic hole in the Pen World community that will never heal. It's very difficult for me to understand death. You are here and in one moment you are gone. Why? Susan you were an amazing human being and one of a kind. No one will be able to replace you. The Pen World will shed many tears for you for a very long time. May you Rest In Peace my lovely and dear friend.
I will always love you and miss you,
Stephen.A.Mandell

Susan Lohmann

May 14, 2017

My dear friend for over 60 years, you are so greatly missed.

May 14, 2017

So sorry for the loss of Susan...
A shock, and a loss for all in the pen community.

-Frank Limper
(Federalist Pens)

Martin Ferguson

May 14, 2017

The pen community remains in shock, your presence at pen shows and my visits to your home will be forever missed. Rest in peace with the big Parker in the heavens.

Legacy Remembers

Posted events

May 14, 2017

May

20

Visitation

10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

TRIPOLI SHRINE CENTER

3000 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI

May

20

Memorial service

12:00 p.m.

TRIPOLI SHRINE CENTER

3000 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI

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