Susan McEvoy Strong passed peacefully on June 12th, 2019 at age 60. As she lived every day, Susan squeezed every moment out of life that she could, outliving a terminal cancer diagnosis almost two years prior and continuing her adventures in the mountains of Colorado and Nepal until the very end.
Born at Fort Rucker, Alabama on September 3, 1958, Susan spent the majority of her childhood in North Easton, Massachusetts. She moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1979 and held a deep fascination and intimate relationship with the mountain communities of Redstone and Marble. In 1993 she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Colorado Boulder.
In 1996, Susan became a tour coordinator, caretaker, historian and docent at the Redstone Castle. Just as the yellow-linen pineapple-stenciled wallpaper in the Castle’s entry hall was a universal sign of welcome and hospitality, Sue welcomed visitors and shared the past of Cleveholm Manor. Our modern day “Lady Bountiful” hosted numerous events at the Castle and was a long-standing member of the Historical Society as well as the Redstone Community Association.
Susan was a talented staff writer and editor for the Crystal Valley Echo and Marble Times and a certified Pilates and Yoga Instructor. She also volunteered for the Dzi Foundation and later Global Dental. After she joined a Ladakh, India trip in 2006, Susan became a dental assistant and began co-leading yearly trips of volunteer doctors to remote villages around Ladakh, and Pokhara, Nepal. Susan was inspired by these magical places and the bright smiles of all the children she served.
Susan had a quiet wit, a beautiful smile, a legendary snort, and an infectious laugh. She loved the music of Bob Dylan and was rarely seen without a Golden Retriever by her side. Friends knew SuMac to be an ice climber, river runner, fan of all things Boston, and an avid hiker and backpacker, trekking each year to Silver Creek in Lead King Basin to photograph the prolific wildflowers. An exceptional skier, Aspen Highlands was the mountain where she skied religiously, dancing on snow.
A strong, wise, courageous, and dedicated mountain woman, Susan will be missed by the friends and family she leaves behind, including her partner Dana Strong, beloved parents Leo and Janice McEvoy, brother John and sister-in-law Aedie McEvoy, nephews and niece Alexander, James, and Leydn McEvoy, her sister and brother-in-law Kathy(McEvoy) and Cameron Law, and nephews Micah and Eli Dawson.
Susan loved Redstone and the community who always made it her home. Donations can be made in her name to the Pema Tsal monastery in Pokhara, Nepal. A celebration of Sue’s life will be held at a later date. Her family thanks you and sends their love. Sue will be missed dearly.
