Susan Roff

Susan Trommald Roff "Ravishing" was Herb Caen's tantalizing description, and so many other sparkling attributes also apply to the dazzling uniqueness of Susan Trommald Roff: Unquenchable cheer and charm, and a spontaneous wit that could bite with the precision of a dentist's drill. Susie, as she was lovingly known, engrossed and passionate about people, with her ready smile and deep empathy and resolute candor, made friends swiftly and lastingly. Her concern for the disadvantaged and the underdog was relentless - not in the abstractions of theory but in real, face-to-face confrontations with actual suffering and need. Worldwide, Susie maintained an ever-expanding e-mail circle to keep up on the latest in politics, humor and the worries and hopes of countless friends and relatives, often typing through the night. Life, to her, was a wondrous adventure enlivened by her curiosity and indefatigable spirit. Whether organizing a campaign headquarters or a dinner party or simply chatting over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, her interest and enthusiasm lifted those who knew her. Susie would have been 70 on April 25, but she missed her party. Two days before, after a brief but brutal illness, she slipped into a deep slumber and died as her family and a few close friends stood vigil at her bedside in California Pacific Medical Center The source of her incredible energy for life remains as illusive as the inconclusive diagnosis of the illness that claimed her. "We've never seen anything like this," the doctors said. "This will go into the national medical literature." Susie might enjoy this posthumous testimony to her individuality. Susie was the daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. John Trommald of Portland, OR and came to San Francisco in the 1960's after graduation from the University of Colorado. She worked in a number of public relations positions and for a dozen years with the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Susie then worked in numerous local political campaigns, including the elections of Mayors Joseph L. Alioto and Dianne Feinstein. In 1980, she married Hadley R. Roff, who was deputy mayor to Feinstein. Roff had been press secretary to Alioto and then spent 10 years in Washington D.C. on the staffs of several senators, including the late Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) before he returned here to City Hall. Later, he served as director of Feinstein's senate staff in California. He also worked with other mayors and was president of the Fire Commission and an Urban Fellow at San Francisco State University. Now retired, he and Susie lived in Cow Hollow. Susie also is survived by a brother, Elliott Trommald (Dagne) of Portland, Ore., and stepsons, James and Timothy Roff of San Francisco. Two brothers, John Jr. and Peter, are deceased. The Neptune Society is handling funeral arrangements, and a celebration of her life will be held at Glide Memorial Church at a date yet to be set.