Susan Parrish Land

1937 - 2023

Susan Parrish Land
July 4, 1937 - July 12, 2023
Susan Parrish Land was born on July 4, 1937 to Cecelia Coleman and Joseph Anderson Parrish. Cecelia grew up at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, where her father served as hotel manager. She earned a JD from UC Hastings College of the Law (now UC Law San Francisco) and passed the California bar exam. Joseph was born in Arkansas and became a manager with Standard Vacuum Oil Company. The Parrishes married in Shanghai, China and settled in Manila, the Philippines, where Susan and her siblings, Bruce, Cecelia, and Joe, were born. The family was immensely fortunate to be on home leave in December 1941 and lived in California and New York until the war ended, then returned to the Philippines.
Susan attended high school at Brillantmont International School in Lausanne, Switzerland and Emma Willard School in Troy, New York. She earned a BA and MA in Art from Stanford University, designing her own curriculum. After graduating she joined the faculty at Oakland High School. Susan loved being an art teacher, and her students' enthusiasm was matched by a supportive principal who helped her work the system for supplies and pretended not to notice when she repainted grey classroom walls bright blue without permission. Susan retired from teaching to marry Andrew Hunter Land of Piedmont, California. The Lands had two daughters and made their home in San Francisco with a second home at Carnelian Bay in Lake Tahoe, where they entertained friends and made memories on the lake. Susan also loved plants and flowers, studied botany, and cultivated beautiful gardens at their home on Green Street.
Living in San Francisco, Susan pursued her interest and appreciation of contemporary art and artists, particularly those of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. She was curious, genuine, and uncompromising, and came to know many of the artists whose work she admired, including Ruth Asawa, Richard Diebenkorn, Frank Lobdell, and Robert Natkin. The Lands collected a range of abstract expressionist works and were champions of California artists. For Susan, art was essential, and connecting with people through sharing impressions and insights about artists' work and influences was a source of great joy. She planned family vacations packed with visits to the most fun museums and cultural sites, good practice for the group tours that she would later lead in the U.S. and internationally.
Susan volunteered for many years at museums, schools, and the San Francisco Botanical Gardens at Strybing Arboretum. As a member of the Junior League, she helped to research the first Museum of Art collection catalogue. She was a devoted trustee of San Francisco University High School and established the school's art gallery. She was a member of SECA, (Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art) at SFMOMA, and the Achenbach Graphic Arts Council at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. She also supported a range of progressive causes, especially those advocated by family and friends.
Susan was gracious, generous, and kind. She is survived by her daughters, Kathleen and Elizabeth, grandsons Jack and Brody Land-McGowen, and several nieces and nephews (the Lands' marriage ended in divorce). She will be warmly remembered for her love for her family, flowers, art, and artists. Donations may be made to End of Life Choices, California, or the charity of your choice.