Susan Marie Garnand

Susan Marie Garnand, 63, of Loveland, passed away on March 10, 2010. She was born on February 20, 1947 in Chicago Illinois to George and Cecile Stashwick. She later lost both parents at the age of 13. She graduated from Springfield High School in 1965, and she attended Illinois State University in Bloomington, IL for her first year in college. She graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. Susan married John Garnand on June 13, 1969 in Springfield, IL. Susan was an Award winning teacher in Boulder Valley Schools for 25 years--Eisenhower Elementary and Bear Creek Elementary--where she taught second through fourth grades. She excelled at her profession, working very hard to develop individualized teaching methods to effectively reach both her gifted and talented students, as well as her special needs students. Retired since 1998, she still receives correspondence from many of her students. Susan loved animals, but her special love was horses. She was involved in various horse activities and horse breeding, based around the re-introduction of the color black into the purebred Arabian breed. Of nine foals, only one turned out black. She loved trail riding and endurance riding. In support of her elementary teaching of Colorado history, Susan brought her classes out to her farm so students could experience farm animals, and various aspects of early Colorado pioneer life. She had them pan for gold, watch a mountain man shoot a black powder musket, sit in a buffalo teepee, pet and feed the horses and goats, eat from the back of a chuckwagon...etc. Students have always remembered these "farm visits" which made Colorado history come alive. Susan also enjoyed sailing and boating with her husband. She loved and supported local art and artists. She invited artists from the annual Invitational and Sculpture in the Park exhibits to her home for dinner, and really enjoyed the art products exhibited at The Masters Fine Art Gallery in Loveland. Susan had courageously battled cancer in several forms for the last 9 years, from breast cancer in 2001, which metastasized into her spine in 2006, to brain cancer in 2008. She is interred in Estes Park, CO, in the Estes Valley Memorial Gardens. She is survived by her husband of 41 years, John Garnand of Loveland; brother, Tad Stashwick and wife Carole of Hanover, NH; sister, Delores Tozer and husband Clifton of Springfield, IL. She was preceded in death by both her parents; and sister, Joan Vassar who died in October 2004. MEMORIAL SERVICES will be held on APRIL 24th at 11:00am, at OUR LADY OF THE MOUNTAINS Catholic Church, 920 Big Thompson Ave (Hwy 34), in ESTES PARK, CO. Memorial contributions may be made to Pathways Hospice or McKee Cancer Center in care of Allnutt Funeral Service.