Susan (Sue) Sidle passed away on February 20th in Pleasant Hill, California. Sue was a long-time resident of Port Townsend and moved to California a year ago to be near family.
Sue was born on June 27, 1936 in Haifa, Palestine as Shoshanna Gavriella Brunner. Sue and her parents came to the US a few years later to avoid the growing unrest in Europe. Sue grew up in Delaware and met her future husband, Carl, at summer camp at the age of 15. She attended Duke University for two years before leaving school to marry Carl in 1956. After Carl’s graduation they moved to Southern California, where Sue and Carl raised their three children and Sue returned to college to earn her teaching degree. Sue taught middle school English and began what would become a lifetime of community involvement by joining the League of Women Voters and participating in local city government. Carl’s love of boating and Sue’s love of small towns and the mountains led them to Port Townsend in 1979. Sue embraced her new town and some of the organizations she lent her talents to over the years were AAUW, Friends of Fort Worden, Port Townsend Yacht Club and Friends of the Library.
Sue was warm and loving and had a knack for making connections with people. She was an avid reader and was intellectually curious. Sue had an infectious smile and you always wanted her on your side when playing Trivial Pursuit. Sue will be greatly missed by her friends and family.
Sue is preceded in death by her husband, Carl, and is survived by her children, David Sidle (Becky Houghton) of Smith River, CA; Ellen (Brent) Rutemiller of Phoenix, AZ; and Catherine (Erik) Udd of Walnut Creek, CA; her brothers Thomas (Wallace) Brunner of Los Altos Hills, CA, and Andy (Sue) Brunner of Dorset, England; and her six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Sue and Carl’s extended family will gather in California to celebrate their lives. Donations in Sue’s name can be made to the Friends of the Port Townsend Library, in recognition of her love of libraries.
