Obituary of Susan Ruth Christians

 

Susan Ruth Christians, 76, passed away surrounded by her loving family on September 28, 2023 after living with COPD for many years.  She had many nicknames given to her over the years. Known by her friends as Susie, Sue by her brother & sister, Mom by her daughters, Nana by her granddaughters, and affectionately as Queen by those closest to her.

Susie was born Susan Ruth Anderson on December 2, 1946 in Denver, CO to Margaret and T.W. “Andy” Anderson.  The oldest of three children raised in Denver, she often talked of spending many memorable summers at the family’s cabin in Grand Lake, CO.

After graduating from Cherry Creek High School, Susie studied at CSU for two years before transferring to the University of Denver.  She met her loving husband, Thomas Joe Christians, while working during the summer of 1966 at Shell Oil Company.  They were married September 1, 1967 in Denver.  Susie and Tom lovingly welcomed two daughters, Pam in 1970 and Lisa in 1975.  Tom and Susie created a wonderful family life and lived in several places including Denver, CO, Monterrey, CA, and Ponca City, OK before finally settling in Littleton, CO.  In 1983, after 16 years of marriage, Tom unexpectedly passed of leukemia and Susie boldly and lovingly raised her two daughters as a single mother. 

Even after the loss of her husband and the demands of raising two daughters, she always opened her home to friends and family when they needed a place to stay.  Her father Andy, affectionately called “Popo” by his family, lived with her in Centennial for almost 20 years.  Over the years, she also welcomed other friends and family to live with her and hosted over a dozen exchange students from Japan to the Middle East, creating a vibrant home for so many.

Susie always loved meeting new people and had a passion for travel.  She loved to take her daughters, Pam and Lisa, on trips all over the world while they were growing up.  Her girls were blessed to go to places like Australia, Japan, Fiji, Hawaii, Florida, and Mexico, as well as on many cruises.  

Later in life, after her girls were grown, Susie and her best friend, Jamie, would go on an international trip almost every year.  Susie loved to experience different cultures, but her true passion was meeting new people.  It was not uncommon for Susie to make at least one new friend sitting on a bench in faraway country, sometimes they didn’t even speak the same language! 

In addition to traveling, Susie loved spending time with her family. Her granddaughters most beloved memories involve sleepovers at Nana’s with tea parties and lots of treats!

In 2006, she decided to take Pam and Lisa and both their families on a once in a lifetime trip to Italy.  She rented a huge Tuscan villa outside of Lucca, Italy and spent two memorable weeks sharing her favorite country with the whole clan: Pam and Lisa, her two sons-in-law, Mark and Brett and her four granddaughters, Katie, Allie, Sammi, and Mikey ranging in age from 3 months to 10 years old and her dear friend Jamie.  Not a week went by for the next 18 years that we didn’t talk about the experiences we had in Italy. 

After retiring from Allstate Insurance after 28 years, Susie’s mobility declined and though she wasn’t able to travel the world, she made many friends wherever she lived.  While living at the Streets of SouthGlenn, she was commonly seen zipping around on her scooter with her adored dog Peaches, to meet up with friends and family or to chat with all the shopkeepers. Although her declining health required her to eventually move to assisted living, she used the time to make all new friends with other residents and people that worked there.  If you wanted to know what was going on at Caley Ridge, she was the one to ask!

Susie was preceded in death by her parents Margaret Bridgford and TW Anderson and her husband, Tom Christians.  She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Pam and Mark Neitzel of Highlands Ranch, CO and Lisa and Brett Johnston of Castle Pines, CO, her four granddaughters, Kaitlin Neitzel (27), Allison Neitzel (21), Samantha Johnston (20) and Mikaela Johnston (17), her brother David Anderson of Grand Lake, CO and her sister, Shanti Dechen of Crestone, CO. 

Although she is no longer with us, we will never forget her.  We will lay Nana to rest next to her beloved husband and have a Committal Service at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 4400 W. Kenyon Ave. Denver, CO, on December 21 at 2:30pm.  An open house to celebrate her life will follow at Lisa and Brett Johnston’s home at 947 Buffalo Ridge Road in Castle Pines, CO.