Susan Arnetas Thompson

Susan Arnetas (Conklin) Thompson passed away peacefully in the company of loved ones on December 23, 2024. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend who celebrated life joyously and shared that joy with everyone. Susan was born in Monte Vista, Colorado on May 31, 1956, to William Conklin and Mary (Neff) Conklin and lived in Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado throughout her life, including Greeley, where she lived for the past 22 years.
Susan was a lifelong learner, educator, creator, and activist both personally and professionally. She had a long career in education, working as a children's library assistant while she was in high school and going on to work as an elementary teacher and a college professor. She taught early childhood and elementary teacher education for thirty-three years at Mesa State University in Grand Junction, the University of Wyoming in Laramie and Casper, and the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. She was well-loved by her students and respected by other educators, receiving the Early Childhood Professional of the Year award in 2001 and many other professional accolades for outstanding teaching, scholarship and research.
As a prolific published author, Susan loved gathering and telling people's stories. She wrote children's books, folktale collections, activity books for teachers, and professional texts, all guided by her passion for sharing ideas and advocating for children. She loved people – their everyday lives, their art and language, their social and cultural complexities, and their shared humanity. Susan offered everyone in her life compassion and empathy.
Susan was also an artist and creator. Her playful approach and enthusiasm for creating were contagious - she was a huge supporter of creativity in everyone. Her myriad hobbies and interests kept life fun and entertaining. Reading, writing, gardening, hiking, travel, archaeology, ceramics, collage, fiber arts, and countless other explorations filled her time outside of her professional life and, through her writing and teaching, carried over into her professional life as well.
While Susan was an accomplished educator, writer, and artist, she was most proud of her family. After raising two daughters and helping raise a niece, Susan and her husband adopted three more young daughters and began a second round of raising children. Susan could often be heard telling people she met, "I have five daughters!" Her greatest joy was being around children – her daughters, grandsons, nieces and nephews, and all the other many, many children in her extended family and all over the world, whom she impacted throughout her life.
Susan was a bright light in the lives of all those around her, and she will be missed by many. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Keith Thompson; her daughters Kayenta (Joe) Williams and Rosalie, Yoselin, Flor de Maria, and Evelin Thompson; niece (like a daughter) Chelsie Hess; grandsons Noah and Kai Williams; sisters Judy (Bill) Hess and Gretchen (Brent) Young; and brothers William (Maria) Conklin, Jr. and Bruce Conklin. She was preceded in death by her parents, William Conklin and Mary (Neff) Conklin.
Services will be held at the First United Methodist Church at 917 10th Ave. in Greeley, CO at 10am on Friday, January 24th.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Susan's name to the Guadalupe Community Center in Greeley, CO online at https://ccdenver.org/greeley/.