Susan Heublein

In loving memory of Susan Parise Heublein
December 29, 1952 – February 14, 2019


Sue was a kind, thoughtful and loving person. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her, including her husband Eric, family, friends and all the many members of her "Facebook Nation". Sue lost her battle with cancer and passed peacefully, surrounded by her family, on February 14th, 2019. She crossed the "Rainbow Bridge" and was met by all her animal friends, especially the dog of her heart, Zena.

Sue came from a large family and grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where early on she developed her love for animals. She raised many rabbits and as a teen, got her first dog, Brandy, a Springer, whom she trained and entered in shows. She was an avid fan of TV's Star Trek from its inception.

After graduating from high school, Sue was hired by the local Army post. She would go on to be a government employee for over 40 years. At night she would take college courses to get her degree from Temple University. She also joined the Army Reserves and successfully completed the Officer Candidate School at the top of her class. She competed on the Army's Rifle Target Shooting Team, where she won several awards.

Sue was promoted and earned the highest rank of Captain in the Army Reserves. Sue continued to rise in grade in her many positions. She got a job in Washington, DC and remained there for several years. While there, as fate would have it, she met her future husband, Eric. But that would have to wait.

She was selected for an Army scholarship and moved to Buffalo, NY to obtain her Masters degree in Business Administration. Once again, Sue graduated at the top of her class. Sue then moved back to Washington, DC and eventually reconnected with her soul mate, Eric. They started their married life together on June 10, 1988. Last year they celebrated 30 years of marriage.

In 1989 Eric, a helicopter pilot, was offered a pilot job in Wichita, Kansas. With a great leap of faith, Sue left her job in Washington, DC, and with few prospects for a new job, moved to Wichita to be with her husband. Sue was fortunate to find a position at the Veteran's Hospital as their Financial Officer. When Eric's job ended after 2 ½ years, Sue was able to secure the same Financial Officer position at the Veteran's Hospital in Portland, Oregon. She held this position for twenty years before retiring in 2009.

Sue and Eric settled just outside the community of Molalla, Oregon. From the very beginning, she made friends and became a driving force in many community activities. She was a member of the 4H Goat Club, and then of the Dairy Goat Association, after acquiring dairy goats of her own. She also showed her goats and received several awards. She named her goat herd "MoonJumpers". As well, Sue helped with Friends of the Library book sales.

After her diagnosis and treatment of cancer in 1999, Sue became a very staunch supporter of the Molalla Relay for Life, as well as the American Cancer Society. She and Eric were Relay for Life committee members for many years. Sue participated in the "Weed and Seed" Program, the Hamlet Program, the Women's Cancer Support Group, the TOPS support group, and the Ford Foundation. She was very proud of her work on the Fox Park Pavilion, the bridge over Bear Creek, and her participation in the banners along the streets of Molalla, through the Ford Foundation. She was also very vocal about the Molalla Farmer's Market. Sue was also a longtime member of the Mulino chapter of the Oregon Pilot's Association. She participated in many of the club's annual Blueberry Pancake breakfasts at the Mulino airport. She also helped with the club's road clean-up of Mulino road.

Sue was especially pleased with her work for the volunteer group Fences for Fido, unchaining dogs in communities of the Portland area. She was the Facebook coordinator for many years for Fences for Fido; with the many, many hours on Facebook, it became her passion and ended up creating many members of her Facebook Nation. She also spent many hours volunteering at the Cat Adoption Team (CAT) in Sherwood. She volunteered several years with the American Wildlife Foundation, the local wildlife rescue in Molalla. Sue was a great supporter of animal causes and rescues. She was on the Board of the Oregon unit of the Humane Society of the United States for many years.

Sue also liked to travel in small airplanes. She and Eric acquired a small plane in 1996. They took the trip of a lifetime to Alaska. They also traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to see the huge airshow. They traveled to Colorado and took a trip to Catalina Island off the coast of California. She really liked to travel to Pacific City, along the Oregon coast, for the day as well as seeing whales from the air.

She was an avid fan of Nathan Fillion and his television show Castle; so much so that she attended two Castle conventions in Los Angeles. Sue loved waterfalls and in her many travels she would seek out the local waterfalls to enjoy their beauty. She adored dolphins and collected many memorabilia over the years. She spent many hours playing the "Sudoku" puzzles. Bruce Springsteen was her favorite singer. Her favorite bird was the red-winged blackbird, favorite flower the iris, and her favorite butterfly was the swallowtail. Sue's favorite catch phrase was "Do Good Things".

Sue's Celebration of Life will be held at Foothills Community Church, 122 Grange Ave, in Molalla on March 30th at 11am. Come join us to celebrate with lunch to follow.

In lieu of flowers, please support her favorite charity, Fences for Fido (www.FencesForFido.org) or your own favorite charity.