July 8, 1949 – February 22, 2022
Susan J. Dessing passed away peacefully at her home in Kirkland on February 22, 2022 surrounded by her husband, Peter and their children, John and Jane.
Susan (née Anderson) was born in Ashland, WI, the youngest of three children, to Jane Anne and Bertram “Jiggs” Anderson. She graduated from Hayward High School in 1967 and was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Chicago. There she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Romance Languages and Literatures in 1971. It was at University that she met her future husband, Peter Dessing. They married May 10, 1973 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
After a year in Europe, Susan and Peter returned to the United States, to Parkersburg, West Virginia. Susan received her teaching certification from Marietta College (OH) and worked as a substitute teacher. She also taught full-time at the Parkersburg Juvenile Detention Center and served as Continuity Director for Parkersburg’s local cable television station, Channel 9, where she worked on TV commercials.
In 1979 their son, John, was born. Later that year, the Dessings moved back to the Netherlands where their daughter, Jane, was born in 1980. Peter’s career also brought the family to Pittsfield (MA), Wassenaar (Netherlands), London (England), Newington (NH), Minneapolis (MN), and Karlsruhe (Germany). Susan was instrumental in supporting Peter in his work, hosting many company and personal parties, and managing the family’s homelife in the US and abroad.
Susan loved seeing the world, creating and studying art, learning new languages, and making long-lasting friendships. Always a nurturing presence, wherever she moved she quickly developed a circle of close friends and actively engaged in local community life, teaching, and charity work.
Susan and Peter retired in Kirkland, Washington in 2009. In retirement, they traveled to many countries and embarked on several ocean cruises. Susan had a particular love for the gardens of England and made many plein air watercolor paintings there. She often painted at her friends’ gardens, the Bassetti’s Crooked Arbor Gardens, Bellevue Botanical Garden, and at the Kirkland Marina. Her paintings reside in many homes, and Susan always brought her artistic flair and encouraging spirit to her painting groups, which she enjoyed immensely. She loved the local community and felt at home walking and appreciating the many sights of the lake and mountains.
Susan will be missed dearly by her many friends and family members. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Dan Anderson. She is survived by her husband and two children, her sister Judy (Anderson) Hunt, as well as her sisters-in-law, Joan Anderson, Marijke Dessing and Noor Dessing.
A memorial service will be held at Kirkland cemetery on April 22, 2022, at 1pm, followed by a reception at the Dessing residence.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Susan J. Dessing to the Bellevue Botanical Garden or Evergreen Hospice Care.
The post first appeared on Barton Family Funeral Service.