On February 18, 2023, Susan Mary Kallgren died peacefully at home. Susan (Sue) was born on September 13, 1952 in Portland, Oregon, to David and Charlotte Kennen. She was the oldest of four siblings and spent her childhood in Portland, graduating from Gresham High School in 1970. Her fondest childhood memories were of vacations taken to the coast where her family would camp and go clamming or hunting for oysters on the beach.

During her first marriage, she lived in San Francisco, California, where her first son, Brandon was born, and Anchorage, Alaska where her daughter, Trina, was born. After returning to Portland she pursued work as a bookkeeper, working for many small companies. This is how she met her second husband Paul, at Western Skyways in Troutdale, Oregon. They were  married in 1983 and she had her second son, Joel, in 1985. In 1997, she moved to Stanwood with her husband and youngest son. They were actively involved in building and designing their home in Warm Beach and were among the first people in the neighborhood. While living in Stanwood, Sue worked for the local flower shop, delivering flowers and sometimes arranging them. She loved getting to know the area this way. Her time in Stanwood is among the happiest days in her life.

Always very artistic, Sue would spend hours sewing costumes or prom dresses, making handmade cards, or helping her children with school projects. Sue took pride in decorating her home with crafts that she created to reflect her love of family and her artistic nature. An animal lover, she was never without a pet. Even during times when pets were not allowed in rental homes, she always had a bird or a fish to keep her company, although she preferred cats and dogs, and had many over her lifetime.  Sue was also an avid gardener and could arrange flowers artfully. She and her husband Paul spent countless hours outside each spring and summer creating gardens that reflected Sue's artistic nature and Paul's green thumb. Their yard was always a gathering place for family and friends.

When she became a grandmother and retired, she started producing more art. One of her favorite activities was to create themed cards to send to her grandchildren for Halloween, Christmas, and birthdays. She was an extraordinary artist, producing many water color paintings and drawings that she freely gave to others as treasured gifts. She especially enjoyed painting nature and pursued themes of birds, flowers, animals, and sunsets. Her art was inspired by the beauty around her and she was able to capture it and share it with others.

Sue said that her greatest joy in life was raising her children. In an interview she did with her youngest son for a school assignment, Sue is quoted as saying, "Outside the home, everything is just a job. Inside the home, my career was, and is, being a mom." She was devoted to her children and grandchildren.

Sue was a quiet, yet determined person. Her determination is what allowed her to survive many health conditions that others have not. She did so without complaint and was an example of fortitude and grace for her family. An example of this is in her last days, she organized a family trip to the coast, her favorite destination, where family could gather to celebrate her wonderful life.

Sue is survived by her sister, Carla (Dan), children, Brandon (Tammy) Kallgren, Trina (Steve) Uppendahl, Joel (Holly) Kallgren, grandchildren, Brittney, Emily, Sarah, Grace, Brenna, Keira, Finley, and Alex. Sue was preceded in death by her husband, Paul, her father, David, her mother, Charlotte, her brother, David Jay, and her sister, Janet.

Time is a gift that we have to give each other. Sue was always giving her time to those she loved and she will be missed dearly.