May 16, 1948 – June 25, 2023
Susi DeWindt Talkington, of Park City and Kamas, passed away quickly following a brief illness, on June 25, 2023.
Susi was a radiant woman with a huge heart. Everywhere she lived—from the midwest, to southern California, to northern Montana, to Summit County, Utah—Susi built loyal friendships that crossed cultural, generational, and ideological boundaries. She spread love wherever she went, and made space for people to tell their stories, to be themselves, to be listened to.
Susi was born in 1948 in Minneapolis, but grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and Los Angeles, California. She began her career as a teacher at her grade school alma mater, The Berkeley Hall School in Los Angeles, California. She taught 7th grade for 18 years, supporting hundreds of students in finding their own voices. Many kept in touch, some well into adulthood. Even after she moved on from a school setting, Susi was a natural teacher, always sharing snippets of knowledge—from the practical to the profound.
Soon after relocating to their dream cabin in Montana in 2000, Susi lost her dear husband, Bruce Talkington. She held a space for her grief and enduring love for him for the rest of her life. A passionate cook, Susi quickly reinvented herself and spent the second half of her professional career as a sales rep for kitchenware lines she believed in. In this second career, Susi regularly traveled throughout the Intermountain West, making many new friends along the way. She possessed a genuine curiosity and affection for everyone whom she met along her journey. This curiosity did not discriminate between the person bagging the groceries, the store manager, the cashier or the owner; all were greeted as “close personal friends”, as she would say about nearly everyone she met.
Wherever she lived, Susi was an integral part of the local Christian Science Church community, and her faith was important to her self-identity. Susi loved music, and performed with the Park City Singers. She sang throughout her life, from hymns, to country ballads, to advertising jingles. During the pandemic, she was a founding member of the Kamas Valley Historic Society and quickly became an anchor in her neighborhood.
Rich memories of Susi and Bruce will live on through their beloved son Brian Miller and his partner Jennifer Gonzales of Denver, Colorado; sister Carol DeWindt Agle of Park City; brother Steve DeWindt of Laguna Niguel, California; and numerous extended family members and friends who will miss Susi’s enveloping hugs, her infectious laugh and kind smile.
A celebration of Susi’s life and her constant love of all humanity is planned for August 5, at her home in Kamas. For details or to RSVP, please email: [email protected].