Excerpts from various emails from Santropol Roulant staff, alumni, volunteers and friends following the news of Susie’s death …

“There is a great quote about death never coming at the right time, but always feeling like a thief. Feels like that now. Of course, the quote that more aptly describes Susie is that the idea is to die young, but as late as possible … We lost a wonderful friend and member of our community.”

“She was a blessing in my life for sure. She felt so strong about not remaining alive in a state of terminal suffering, so although I’m sad to see her leave so early, I’m happy that she was able to make a relatively smooth exit from this world, surrounded and supported by family and friends.”

“Everyone requires and takes space: some occupy more than they require, Susie, she filled more but occupied less so we miss her.”

“I hang on to her last comment to me right now, which was, “everything is actually alright”…. And she also made me realize that somewhere, nothing wrong is happening. We are just apart of something much larger and continuous. She made me fear less about the outcome and care more about today.”

“The wonderful, fierce and lovely Susie Raphals just passed away… Phil, her son, had an open gathering at his house on Sunday, which I was lucky enough to make it to for a little while. People sat in the living room and shared all sorts of Susie stories, from many different times of her life, which were both emotional and amazing to hear. I felt very aware of how little I really knew about her life, but very fortunate to have experienced some small bit of her seemingly boundless energy & generosity.”

“[I didn’t even know her that well] but I loved that woman to pieces.”