Michael Southwick

Elmer Michael Southwick, known as Michael or Mike to his family and friends, passed away peacefully on July 6, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. He was 80 years old. His dear wife, Susan Rose Southwick, preceded him in death in 2007 at the age of 62.

Michael was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, friend, neighbor, and U.S. diplomat. He was born on January 12, 1945, in Willits, a lumber town amid the redwoods of Mendocino County in northern California. His mother, Gertrude Ethel Rowley, the daughter of English and Norwegian immigrants, was originally from Logan, Utah. His father, Elmer Wallace Southwick, had grown up on a farm in Liberty, Utah, on land that Elmer’s English-born grandfather had obtained through a homestead grant.

Elmer and Gertie raised their family in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Michael was the middle child of seven siblings, with two older brothers, an older sister, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. All of his siblings survive him. During Michael’s childhood, his tight-knit family moved several times. After a successful stint in the lumber business, his parents owned a motel in Ukiah, California. In the surrounding vineyards, Michael played and tried to hide so he could avoid school.

In 1953, his father bought a remote cattle ranch in Rowland, northern Nevada. While the cattle business suffered setbacks, Michael recalled the ranch years as “the richest part of our life together as a family.” Michael had fond memories working on the ranch, attending a one-room schoolhouse, discovering great literature, and devouring books on American and world history. In 1957, after less than two years in Twin Falls, Idaho, the family moved back to northern California to reenter the lumber business in the town of Willits.

In 1962, Michael graduated from Willits High School, where he served as President of the student council and acted in school plays. Through scholarships, he graduated from Stanford University in 1966 with a B.A. in History. On December 10, 1966 (Human Rights Day), he married his college classmate, Susan Obee, from Novato, California. They were soulmates, sharing wide intellectual interests, sharp humor, and a strong commitment to family, friends, and service to others.

When Michael joined the U.S. Foreign Service at the age of 22, he was the youngest Officer in the whole Foreign Service. Their “life of adventure,” as Susan called it, began with a posting to Kathmandu, Nepal. Michael used to say that before then, he had never been east of the Rockies.

In 1971, they welcomed their son, Edward Michael, at a Belgian hospital in Kigali, Rwanda. Their second son, Andrew Douglas, arrived in 1975 in Geneva, Switzerland. Their daughter, Katherine Gallup, was born in 1978 in Washington, D.C. Subsequent assignments included Bujumbura, Burundi (1979 to 1982); Niamey, Niger (1982 to 1985); Nairobi, Kenya (1990 to 1994); and Kampala, Uganda, where he was the U.S. Ambassador (1994 to 1997). From 1997 until he fully retired in 2003, he was a senior official focused on United Nations affairs and human rights.

Michael was a highly skilled and dedicated diplomat. In difficult environments, he regularly found ways to advance American interests while uplifting cherished human values of peace, freedom, and cooperation. While in Niger, he initiated and coordinated large-scale food assistance to avert the consequences of the worst famine in the region’s recent history. “Not on my watch,” he said. In the late 1990s, he led a bipartisan effort in Congress and the Department of Defense to enable the U.S. Government to ratify an international treaty banning the use of child soldiers.

Wherever Michael and Susan lived, they created a rich community and family life, hosting musical evenings, supporting Peace Corps volunteers, and taking their kids on spectacular safaris. Their children attended French and international schools, enabling them to form lifelong friendships and cherished memories, such as climbing Mt. Kenya, living with the Masai tribe, riding a camel, working on a George Lucas film, and trekking for mountain gorillas. Through all that time, Michael and Susan helped ground their family in the U.S., through time spent out West with family, some of whom were also able to travel overseas for visits.

After Susan passed, Michael spent his later years in Arlington, Virginia. He lectured occasionally, shared his extensive genealogical research, and enjoyed music, theater, road trips, and good times with friends and family. His daughter, Katherine, moved back to Arlington with her family in 2016. Without doubt, Michael’s greatest joy in his final years were his grandchildren, both near and far. As his health declined, he continued to count his blessings, as we continue to count the blessing of his life in ours.

Graveside services will be held on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Liberty Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Doctors Without Borders in Michael’s name are welcome.