1943
Susan
2015
Susan Dowler
July 2, 1943 — October 15, 2015
Mary Susan "Susie" Dowler passed away October 15, 2015 at the age of 72. The former Susie Sype was born July 2, 1943, in Tyler, Texas. She also lived in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Casper, Wyoming, Providence, Rhode Island and Morris Plains, NJ. She married her high-school sweetheart, Earl Ray "Butch" Dowler in 1984 and lived in Albuquerque from 1981 until her death.
Susie graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming in 1961. She received her BA from the University of Denver in 1965 and her Master's of Communication Disorders degree from the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in 1967. She received an additional Master's in Educational Administration degree from the University of New Mexico.
Susie was a speech and language pathologist who retired from the Albuquerque Public Schools system in 2009. During her professional career of 40-plus years, Susie served as President of the Rhode Island Speech and Hearing Association, worked in the Basking Ridge, NJ school system, delivered speech and language services in the Albuquerque Public Schools system and served as vice principal for special education at LBJ Middle School in Albuquerque, NM. She was a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association for many years.
An extraordinarily bright, articulate, and energetic person, Susie devoted her life to helping children in need and celebrating each large and small step of progress accomplished by each child. Although her career kept her busy, she always had time to give to her family, in times of joy and in times of need. She was passionate in her love for her husband, her sons, her siblings, and her nieces and nephews. Indeed, her greatest happiness was found in the company of her family. Even when her illness was acute, she somehow found the strength to tell each one, "I love you."
In Susie's high school and early college years, she was a budding thespian, having significant roles in several musical and dramatic productions. One of her favorite roles was Mrs. Frank in the "Diary of Ann Frank." In high school, she was a member of the first Troupe in the country of the International Thespian Society, at Casper's Natrona County High School.
Prior to her illness, Susie enjoyed tending to her plants and seemed to have a gift for making plants grow and thrive in spite of Albuquerque's sparse rainfall. She had a tremendous love of animals, particularly of dogs. Just as she did with her family, she doted on and nurtured her dogs with a generous abundance of TLC.
Perhaps Susie's most enjoyable times were those she spent with family: her husband and life-long beau, Butch, her sons, her sisters and brother, and her nieces and nephews. She was very-much beloved by all and provided inspiration for her niece, Amanda, to make a career in Speech Pathology. The most recent addition to her family was her great niece, Maddie Hatfield. Before she became too ill to travel, Susie was thrilled to be able to meet her young great-niece in New Jersey.
Susie is survived by her beloved and loving husband, Butch; her dear sons, Tim in Dallas, Texas, and Derrick and Michele with grandchildren Luke and Jacy in Albuquerque; her siblings and their loving spouses: Nan and Sid Simpson, and Russ and Melissa Sype of Albuquerque; her twin sister, Peggy and Jeff Mark of Chatham, New Jersey; her loving nieces and nephews: Jeff Simpson and Sid Simpson of Illinois, Jenny Simpson of Wisconsin, Peter Sype and Faith Sype of Albuquerque; Melissa and Chris Hatfield and great niece, Maddie, of Madison, New Jersey; brother-in-law Tom and Melanie Dowler of Casper, Wyoming; nieces Gretchen Astone of Denver, Colorado, Erin Killbride of Dayton, Wyoming, and Amanda Kirlin of Casper, Wyoming.
Many thanks to Elaine Masters and Margie Cifuni for the kind, sensitive, and loving care they provided to Susie.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at FRENCH - Westside. Contributions in Mrs. Dowler's memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.
FRENCH - Westside
9300 Golf Course Rd. NW
(505) 897-0300
Susie graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming in 1961. She received her BA from the University of Denver in 1965 and her Master's of Communication Disorders degree from the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in 1967. She received an additional Master's in Educational Administration degree from the University of New Mexico.
Susie was a speech and language pathologist who retired from the Albuquerque Public Schools system in 2009. During her professional career of 40-plus years, Susie served as President of the Rhode Island Speech and Hearing Association, worked in the Basking Ridge, NJ school system, delivered speech and language services in the Albuquerque Public Schools system and served as vice principal for special education at LBJ Middle School in Albuquerque, NM. She was a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association for many years.
An extraordinarily bright, articulate, and energetic person, Susie devoted her life to helping children in need and celebrating each large and small step of progress accomplished by each child. Although her career kept her busy, she always had time to give to her family, in times of joy and in times of need. She was passionate in her love for her husband, her sons, her siblings, and her nieces and nephews. Indeed, her greatest happiness was found in the company of her family. Even when her illness was acute, she somehow found the strength to tell each one, "I love you."
In Susie's high school and early college years, she was a budding thespian, having significant roles in several musical and dramatic productions. One of her favorite roles was Mrs. Frank in the "Diary of Ann Frank." In high school, she was a member of the first Troupe in the country of the International Thespian Society, at Casper's Natrona County High School.
Prior to her illness, Susie enjoyed tending to her plants and seemed to have a gift for making plants grow and thrive in spite of Albuquerque's sparse rainfall. She had a tremendous love of animals, particularly of dogs. Just as she did with her family, she doted on and nurtured her dogs with a generous abundance of TLC.
Perhaps Susie's most enjoyable times were those she spent with family: her husband and life-long beau, Butch, her sons, her sisters and brother, and her nieces and nephews. She was very-much beloved by all and provided inspiration for her niece, Amanda, to make a career in Speech Pathology. The most recent addition to her family was her great niece, Maddie Hatfield. Before she became too ill to travel, Susie was thrilled to be able to meet her young great-niece in New Jersey.
Susie is survived by her beloved and loving husband, Butch; her dear sons, Tim in Dallas, Texas, and Derrick and Michele with grandchildren Luke and Jacy in Albuquerque; her siblings and their loving spouses: Nan and Sid Simpson, and Russ and Melissa Sype of Albuquerque; her twin sister, Peggy and Jeff Mark of Chatham, New Jersey; her loving nieces and nephews: Jeff Simpson and Sid Simpson of Illinois, Jenny Simpson of Wisconsin, Peter Sype and Faith Sype of Albuquerque; Melissa and Chris Hatfield and great niece, Maddie, of Madison, New Jersey; brother-in-law Tom and Melanie Dowler of Casper, Wyoming; nieces Gretchen Astone of Denver, Colorado, Erin Killbride of Dayton, Wyoming, and Amanda Kirlin of Casper, Wyoming.
Many thanks to Elaine Masters and Margie Cifuni for the kind, sensitive, and loving care they provided to Susie.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at FRENCH - Westside. Contributions in Mrs. Dowler's memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.
FRENCH - Westside
9300 Golf Course Rd. NW
(505) 897-0300
Service Details
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015, 11:00am, FRENCH - Westside
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