Susan Ellen Vosburg Dies; Part-Time Sitkan Was 80

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Category: Obituaries

Created on Monday, 09 September 2024 14:15

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Susan Ellen Vosburg

Susan Ellen Vosburg, age 80, passed away with her family by her side on August 8, 2024.
She is survived by her husband, Noble “Tuck,” and three daughters, Victoria Vosburg (Burgess Bauder) of Sitka, Sally Vosburg and Lindsay Vosburg of Reno, Nevada; and grandson, Donovan, of Reno.
She also is survived by her sister, Sally Bilsborough (Lowell) of Lone Tree, Colorado; her brother, Seph Huber (Barbie) of Bozeman, Montana; brother-in-law Woody Vosburg of Valentine, Nebraska; sister-in-law Susan Vosburg, Omaha, Nebraska; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Susan was born August 15, 1943, in Pensacola, Florida, the first child of Lt. Walter I. Hermanson and Genevieve D. Hermanson.  As the daughter of a career Naval Officer, Pensacola would be the first of more than 30 locations where Susan would live.
But it was Coronado, California, that she always considered home. It was Coronado her mother chose to return to following her father’s sudden death when Susan was 10.
Several years later her mother married Cmdr. Joseph F. Huber Jr., and Susan’s life of frequent moves and schools continued, instilling in her a lifelong desire for travel and adventure.
She graduated from Mount Vernon Seminary School for Girls in Washington, D.C. in 1961.
Susan’s love of hunting for fossils and arrowheads with her grandfather in the Badlands of South Dakota created a serious interest in becoming an archaeologist.  This was quickly discouraged by her mother; archaeology was “a profession where only men could succeed.”  Instead, encouraged by her mother, Susan turned her interests to becoming another Betty Crocker, developing recipes for General Mills. She attended Iowa State University where the first experimental test kitchen had been established in 1876. It was at Iowa State where she met her future husband, Tuck Vosburg, on the last day of her freshman year.  He offered her a ride to the Ames, Iowa, bus station to begin a trip to Singapore where her father was the Naval Attache.
Susan returned to Iowa State in the fall where she ran into Tuck again during registration. Tuck graciously offered to help her with signing up for classes which led to their becoming inseparable.  Tuck and Susan were married two and a half years later during winter break of her senior year, following her transfer to the University of Nebraska where Tuck was studying for his master’s in finance. She received her bachelor of science degree in May 1965. Their first daughter, Victoria, was born in November 1965.  However, shortly before she was born Lt. Vosburg was assigned to a base in Korea. Susan stayed behind, living in Washington, D.C., near her parents.  Reunited after 13 months, Tuck, Susan, and baby Victoria drove across the U.S. to Colorado, where Tuck completed his final year with the Army at Ft. Carson and Susan began gathering recipes to test.
They fell in love with the mountains, but so did many other young college graduates, and jobs after the Army were hard to find. Tuck convinced Susan they should settle “briefly” in Omaha, Tuck’s hometown, where he was sure to get a job and finish his master’s dissertation.  Ten years later, long after his thesis was done and their second daughter, Sally, was born, Susan convinced Tuck it was time to move to that place near the mountains where they always wanted to live.
In 1976, Great Falls, Montana, became that place close to the mountains for the next 35 years, and their third daughter, Lindsay, was born. It was there Susan discovered a love for hiking in Glacier National Park and the joy of having a cabin in the Little Belt Mountains. She learned to ski and saw her tennis game improve after years of weekly clinics.  It was there, after the girls were older, she began to question all the time spent on cooking and other domestic responsibilities and wanted to explore another passion which was researching.  Susan decided to go back to school, this time earning a bachelor of arts degree in paralegal studies from the University of Great Falls. She then began a ten-year position with a local corporate defense law firm.
Although Susan enjoyed the research involved with the law firm and her community involvement through Junior League and PEO, she found home and family most rewarding.  This and her love of hiking, exploring her Norwegian ancestry, knitting, photography, book club discussions and a never-ending quest for the perfect recipe would continue to bring her joy in later years.
After retirement, Tuck and Susan moved closer to their daughters and grandson, dividing their time between Reno and Sitka, with frequent visits back to Montana, Coronado and new destinations offered by small ship cruises.
In Reno she enjoyed Olli, PEO, Chi Omega alums, book club discussions, and Tai Chi at Bartley Ranch.  She also enjoyed the weekly day trips where she and Tuck would take turns planning where they would go to explore and learn more about Reno and the surrounding area.  During the time spent in Sitka, she enjoyed hiking, embracing the local culture, knitting, enjoying the breathtaking views and sitting outside by the fire with family and friends.  She cherished the summers when her grandson, Donovan, came to attend the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.
Susan’s beauty, elegance, creativity and passionate dedicated drive are a few of the many traits that all will remember.  She had and created a beautiful life and will be dearly missed.

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