In Memory of Susanne
I hope this works for people -- I had not realized that the chat room did not log folk's thoughts : Thank you to all who have posted (and continue to post) such lovely memories.
Grant
Grant
posted by Hedgewizard | 9:46 AM
24 Comments:
In memory of Susanne, I will be sharing my gift of making a joyful noise in the Pacific Northwest end of the universe.
My condolences to Grant and family.
While we didn't know Susanne as well as I would have liked, our few interactions were delightful.
Lyn W. & Mark B.
Dear Grant and family- We are so sorry to hear about Suzanne. Her sunny disposition and easy going nature will be sorely missed. I admired her 24/7 committment to community service and to charities such as homeless pets. She inspires me to think beyond my 9-5 job; to get involved in service organizations.
I'll miss seeing her at the gully, I'll miss hearing her beautiful, soothing voice every Thursday. We look foward to seeing you again down there or up at the Mormon trail with the dogs. Please let me know if you need helpnow with Shiba Inu rescue.
Take Care- Teresa & Warren
Dear Grant, Family, and Friends;
I was greatly saddened to hear the news of Susanne's departure. My association with her was infrequent... usually at a KRCL or IAMA event... but I considered her a friend (and "neighbor") and one of the truly great souls I've known. The last time we talked was about 6 weeks ago when I needed advice about my dog, and I greatly appreciated her insight and willingness to share. I will miss hearing her voice on Thursday mornings and seeing her at the Founder's Title F&BG Fest. I hope you are all holding up well... I'm sure it's hard on you... but I'm also sure you're all proud of how she will live on through fond memories and her actions in this life.
Slán leat Susanne.
Paul D.
Debra Cowan here. I am very sad to hear of Susanne's passing. I do know however, that she touched many lives; be it through her radio show, her political activities or the concert series that she and Grant hosted. I know that she touched mine and she will always be in my thoughts.
Susanne was one of the first DJs to play my music on the radio in the very early days of my turning folk music "pro". We had met through Indiegrrl in 1998, but would not get a chance to actually exchange a hug until 2002. That was at Folk Alliance where I was in a showcase that remembered Kate Wolf. When I was introduced, there was one person who clapped. It was Susanne. :-)
Susanne was definitely a light. I enjoyed her emails and we always had some wonderful things to discuss when we communicated. She was articulate and it was apparent that we shared concerns about social justice, and especially Women's Issues.
She will be missed by many and I would think that Thursday mornings in SLC will be just a wee bit poorer without Susanne's voice coming through over the airwaves.
Grant, thinking of you and your family at this time.
In peace and love,
Debra Cowan
One of my fondest memories of the Folk Alliance is of Susanne, Tom Prasada-Rao and several others singing John Denver songs until the sun came up. She was a light and a presence and a gift to our sphere and I'm sure many others. And now, off to sing a round of "Back Home Again."
Love you, Susanne.
And Grant, all my best wishes are with you.
Eric S.
I am so pleased to have known Susanne. Talk about a woman who didn't sweat the small stuff but put all her sweat into the big stuff. Susanne lived life with gusto and passion and I know she will continue to be present in all who got to know and love her. My thoughts go out to you Grant, John, Jessica, her parents and other family members and friends.
Peace and Love Alexis
Grant & Family,
I was so sad to hear about the loss of Susanne. She was very good to me over the years and very supportive of my music. I am sorry I never got to meet her in person.
I will dedicate a song to her memory here in Dublin, Ireland at my next performance. I wish I could be at the memorial in person. My condolences to you.
Much Love,
Nancy
I will miss Susanne's sweetness and light; I will miss her voice and perfect music choices on Thursday mornings; I will miss her smile and hugs in her home at house concerts; I will miss her important presence in my life and in the world.
Love and condolences to Grant and family.
I first met Susanne in Tucson in the 70's. For our first date we went to a Chinese restaurant and I ordered duck. She proceeded to tell me about the pet duck she had as a child, and I figured it would be our last date as well. But we connected and somehow managed to stay together for about five years in Tucson, Salt Lake City, and New York.
When I got a job in SLC, she started going to the University of Utah. While at the U of U she got involved politically and for a while she wrote a column for the student newspaper as "The Flaming Feminist". I remember that when she hosted the women's conscious-raising group, I was either sent out of the house or exiled to the bedroom wearing headphones.
When I got a job in NY she stayed in SLC, but a year later she agreed to join me. We drove cross country in her Renault LeCar, with Susanne spraying the cats with plant mister as drove thru the summer heat in Kansas. In upstate NY she got a job in a bookstore in Ithaca and we often talked about her opening a bookstore when we got some money together. But she felt an attraction for SLC that I didn't share, and headed back there.
We remained in contact over the years and occasionally our paths crossed again. In 1985 I got a postcard from her when she was bicycling thru Europe, and we arranged to meet at JFK airport in NYC. We picked up the conversation as if it had only been five minutes instead of five years, and the hours flew by until she had to leave.
In 1991 she was driving thru Tucson and we met up again. We went to dinner at a Thai restaurant, and after ordering she followed the waitress into the kitchen to talk to the chef and make sure that the food was as hot as she wanted it.
Then a few years ago I ran across her name in the internet and we reconnected again. I started listening to her on the KRCL webcast and we started exchanging e-mail. When she told me she had cancer I was devastated but felt that if anyone had a chance it was a fiesty fighter like her.
I saw Susanne for the last time in July, when I surprised her with a birthday visit. Although the cancer had taken its toll physically, she was still the Susanne I had known all those years. I got to meet Grant and the dogs and cats. We drove around SLC to all the old places, and I sat in the studio with her as she did her show. When it came time to say good-bye, I had the feeling it would be last time I saw her.
She touched my life in so many ways, and I'm so glad we had a chance to share some things that were important to us - politics, travel, food, animals, music.
All week I've been thinking about Susanne....her influence via the radio, her vibrant spirit, her articulate and thoughtful contributions to the folk dj community's on-line discussion group, and her unmatchable ability to mix genres of music with integrity and creativity.
We were dj pals, Folk Alliance "buds". I always knew things would be good if she was in our peer group sessions. Although we had very different flavors in our programming styles, the mutual respect allowed us to share discoveries with one another across the miles. After I left my show, our correspondence was very infrequent, but nevertheless meaty and most delightful.
I never heard her show, but reading the playlists told me how lucky her Thursday morning listeners were. She showed daring and intellect, with "program notes" that told me alot about the sound, and now I only wish I had caught her on-line.
The photo posted looks exactly as I remember her, laughing, bright, direct, sharp as a tack. My favorite moments with Susanne are cemented in my memory at the end of Folk Alliance in Cleveland, several of us on the shuttle to the airport, wondering if we'd make it back home as a blizzard threatened to alter our westbound plans. I can't recall ever having a more fun ride, de-briefing from the week's songs and sleeplessness, the camaraderie, a bond developed with those whom you may only see once a year, once or twice a decade, but oh-so-memorable.
As I light yet another candle for a dear friend going through her own battle with the big C, I think of Susanne as well, with sadness and celebration.
Susan Madden
Vashon Island, WA
Grant, family, & friends of Susanne:
What can I possibly say that has not already been said???
My deepest condolences
Grant, what a loving, wonderful tribute to Susanne this morning. It must have been very difficult for you, and a perhaps a start in healing.
I had only talked with Susanne a handful of times at music events, house concerts, etc., but I feel as if I have lost a close personal friend. Through her love of music & community, we had a magnificent view of her soul.
I will miss her wonderful voice on Thursdays. Somehow, I know she will be there... living on in our hearts until we meet her again in the next journey of our destiny....
May all of our pain diminish quickly, the healing be fast, but the memories never fade
Susanne, rest in peace, you WILL be an inspiration to me, I feel blessed to have had a point in time where our paths crossed....
Scott S.
The last time I saw Susanne was this past summer...I came up behind her on the road and immediately recognized who was driving, and as I pulled up alongside her I tapped my horn to get her attention. When she recognized me she broke out into a huge smile and she waved merrily as I blew her a kiss.
She was a huge part of the KRCL family, and I will always think of her when Radiothon comes around. I will sorely miss her laughter and wonderfully wicked sense of humor! And I can't help but smile through my tears as I imagine her cackling in the kitchen with Jo Wilson once again.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken,
Teri Runyan
The dying of a light...it will take many of us to remember, celebrate and keep the torch Susanne carried all alone burning brightly.
I was lucky enough to experience Susanne as a dear friend and undying ally. She was like a sister to me while I struggled to raise two children on my own, as a recovering mormon turned fledgling liberal--finding my way in an unfamiliar world.
She was tirelessly supportive of me and my family and was instrumental in my raising two bright, beautiful, successful, radical young people who carry her influence today as they fight hard for good causes for both humanity and the animal world.
Susanne had the patience and vision to love difficult people (and pets) and always saw the diamond in the rough. She had the endurance to provide the encouragement, care, understanding and support that is so rare and necessary in enabling those who march to a different drummer to find their voice and add that voice to the chorus.
I will never forget her patience and her love; her ability to laugh even when things were tough; and her courage to fight for what she believed in.
Namaste.
My connection to Susanne is through Indiegrrl. For a few years we corresponded quite regularly adding our respective thoughts on the topic of the day.
In more recent years she used to forward her playlists to a discussion group that I host. Occasionally we'd end up comparing notes on particular artists.
Just 2 weeks ago, when I bought a copy of Ian & Sylvia's Greatest Hits, I was reminded of a discussion that we had a few years back. It was Susanne who told me that Ian Tyson had written the song that was a hit for "We Five" - "You Were On My Mind". So here I was listening to them sing the song which of course put Susanne "on my mind".
I never had the chance to meet her, yet she obviously had an effect on me over here on the East coast.
My mother e-mailed me on Tuesday to tell me that Susanne, the host of KRCL's Thursday morning program, had died on the previous Friday. For those of you who aren't from Salt Lake City (which is everyone), KRCL is the local community radio station. Our family first listened to it over Labor Day weekend 1988 when my father, sister, cats and I were riding down the canyon into the city and my father switched the radio to FM to see if any stations were coming in. Coming from Iowa, our radio was stuck on 90.9 (KUNI) and when my father turned on the radio, what we heard was KRCL. It would be a long time before we even knew that there *were* other radio stations in Salt Lake.
Often our family has a habit of looking back on those first years in Salt Lake as horrible and in many ways they were. Yet, when I think of that time, I recognize it as one of the three most pivotal points in shaping my musical tastes (the other two being 1982 or 1983 when I was taken to see "Wasn't that a time" and the day I bought Cássia Eller's "MTV acústico" and Gilberto Gil's "São João ao vivo" as well as the "Sem Limite" collections for Caetano Veloso and Cássia).
In fact, now I usually *only* remember all of the music that I discovered during those first couple of years in Utah. KRCL is the first place that I remember hearing the Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega (although I had heard *of* her before), Michelle Shocked, Lyle Lovett, Nancy Griffith... and so many others in ensuing years including Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, Alison Krauss, Patty Larkin, Lucinda Williams, Laura Love and so many others. To this day, songs like "Listen to the Radio", "Anchorage", "Closer to Fine" and "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" are for me forever associated with moments that I remember hearing them while riding in our Astro minivan.
Susanne started volunteering for KRCL a couple of years before we moved to Utah but she started hosting the Thursday morning program about the time we moved to town. She would have been one of those djs who gave me most of the music that I listen to this day.
The longtime djs on KRCL--people like Susanne, Donna, Babs and the Old Man--are people who many of us probably take for granted and who we only really notice once they are gone. The Old Man's declining health has made everyone reflect a little on his role in their lives, but I guess everyone thought that Susanne would make it through her cancer and that she would continue to be a presence in our lives.
Of course, Susanne and so many other KRCL volunteers will always be presences in the lives of the thousands of us who faithfully listen to the station as if it were a religious experience. And it *is* a religious experience to those of us who are devoted members of the Church of Holy Folk Music.
I only just heard about Susanne's passing and reading through the comments here I realize how lucky I have been to cross paths with her... and how much I missed by not knowing her better. I walked outside and I think the stars are brighter tonight than I have seen them in a long, long time. Last week we sent a 20-mo old vizsla to the Rainbow Bridge who wasn't able to escape the demons that haunted him in this life. I know now that he is in the very best of hands.
Penny Fenton
I've only just heard the sad news, from a colleague at KRCL. I compile a radio chart, Freeform American Roots, in which Susanne was an active participant right up to the September reporting cycle, and, though we never met, we exchanged many emails. I was always struck by her enthusiasm, openmindedness, eclectic taste and sense of humor. She will be missed.
John Conquest, 3rd Coast Music
Suzanne had a heart as big as all the outdoors that she loved to walk (the dogs) in, and a personality as sweet as all the music played at her house...she will be sorely missed.
Lewis (Gabby and Fritz)
I'm Stephen K,
I guess I was Susanne's rebound guy after she broke up with Frank in '76.
She was way more than that to me.
Susanne was intelligent, passionate, compassionate, strong, sensual, enthusiastact,out-going;
I fell totally in love.
We went to hikes in Orderville Canyon,and Court Housewash, a camping trip to the LaSal Mountains, Thanksgaiving at Bonnie's, Christmas at her parents, New Year's at my brother's in San Fancisco,
I went to the Women's Conference at the UofU with Susanne and became enlightened.
I guess I was there while she sorted out her feelings for Frank, and I was naive and took a lot for granted.
Anyway. Susanne broke it off just before her birthday in July'77.
I touk it ok, until she left, than the enormity of what a special person she was hit me.
I didn't sleep for three days or eat for five.
Boy,Susanne cut to the core.
We didn't stay in touch, I don't think I could handle it.
But, we chage, grow, I had relationships, fell in love, married.
Susanne will always have a special place in my heart.
Grant, you have my admiration for being the one to marry her.
My sincerest condolances to you, Grant and the Millasps family.
I was so sad to hear about Susanne...she was such an incredibly warm, giving soul. I only had the chance to spend time with her every few years at Folk Alliance, but she was always so helpful and supportive. My heart hurts to know that she is no longer with us. Grant, I am not sure if you will remember me, but you and Susanne came to a house concert I played in Salt Lake a few years ago. It meant so much to me that you both came.
Also, wanted to share that I heard about Susanne's passing when I was singing backup with Catie Curtis at the Birchmere. She made an announcement about Susanne, and talked about what a wonderful soul she was. I couldn't agree more.
I am so sorry for your loss. She will be missed by so many.
Love,
Edie (carey)
what a blessing to have known susanne. her light shone so very brightly through her passion, conviction, and generosity of spirit. she treated me like an old friend from the moment we first met in an elevator. she championed so many unheard musicians and i am so grateful for her kind enthusiasm and friendship. plus she made me the best dang scrambled eggs i have ever tasted!! grant, i will keep you and her memory in my heart. in gratitude,
beth wood
From the GrooveLily December newsletter:
3. Department of Gratitude: Susanne Millsaps
----------------------------------
In this time of giving and reflection, we'd like to take a moment to remember a special friend who recently passed away. Susanne Millsaps was a Salt Lake City, Utah music maven: a wonderful, extremely knowledgeable independent DJ at KRCL; a tireless supporter of musicians from all over the world; and a joyful presence whose enthusiasm and delight in live music couldn't help but affect everyone around her. At one point, when we were on tour, she not only hosted a GL concert in her home (along with her partner Grant Hogarth, who survives her), but arranged for multiple other concerts in other parts of Salt Lake so that we could afford to make the trip. We learned recently that she was playing our music on her final radio show, 2 weeks before her death. We are immensely grateful that we got to know her. Susanne, the entire independent music community will miss you...and so will we.
I only heard of Susanne's passing recently. She was a powerhouse within the animal rescue community and her passing has left a very hollow space. She helped me with my personal rescue and with work-Animal Control related rescue many times over the years. A huge transport from here in SW Colorado to Washington state for two dogs never would have been possible without Susanne's help. Because of her, those two dogs now live wonderful lives in their forever homes as well as others that are too numerous to count. I will remember her with joy, and am happy knowing that all the furkids at the Bridge have a wonderful Guardian with them. Joy and peace to all of Susanne's friends and Family...
Clare
GSP Rescue of SW Colorado
SW Colorado Homeless Pets
Heidi's Rescue
See Bernie and Hannah's trip at:
http://www.flyingpaws.org/Stories%2058.htm
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