Susan (Susie) Marie Marston, 51, of Keizer, Oregon, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2025, surrounded by her loving family.

Born on March 20, 1974, in Redmond, Oregon, Susie was the first child of Alex and Kathy Marston. Though her early years were spent in various rural communities, Madras became her true home. From a young age, Susie cultivated passions that would stay with her throughout her life: a deep love for family, cruising in cars, photography, and listening to George Strait. She was the quintessential big sister — whether by blood or by heart.

A graduate of Madras High School (Class of 1992), Susie was active in volleyball, basketball, tennis, and 4-H. She earned her B.S. in Accounting from Eastern Oregon University in 1997 and went on to build a distinguished career in public service. Most recently, she served as Finance Director for the City of Monmouth. Prior to that, she spent 15 years with the City of Gervais, including many years as City Manager. She also served as President of the Oregon City/County Management Association. Her colleagues remembered her this week as a kind, humble leader who always sought the bright spot in any situation. Employees described her as a “boss lady” that they actually wanted to spend time with outside of work.

Susie’s legacy is defined by her empathy, resilience, and positivity. She had a gift for helping others— where talking someone through a tough moment would often turn into helping with a household project. A breast cancer survivor of nearly a decade, she became a beacon of hope and strength for others facing similar battles. She met every challenge with grace, calm, and a deep concern for those around her.

Creative and patient by nature, Susie was a master of decorating cookies with royal icing and often sacrificed her own clean clothes and kitchen to teach others. At Christmastime, her family always looked forward to those cookies that were (almost) too beautiful to eat.

Photography was a lifelong passion. Growing up, she staged elaborate photoshoots with her younger siblings involving sheets, dolls, and serious expressions. Later in life, she used those same skills to capture the big moments in her sons’ lives, gorgeous sunsets over Mt. Jefferson from her parents’ home, beautiful sunrises over tulips at the Wooden Shoe Tulip farm and document other events with friends and family. Susie had a rare ability to preserve the essence of any moment.

A country girl at heart, Susie was introduced by a friend to Bud Bernards, a farmer in Dayton, Oregon. Bud became a mainstay in Susie’s life. She enjoyed spending time with him at his farm.

Above all, Susie cherished her role as mom to Daniel (25), Michael (22), and Samuel (18). Her love of her boys was boundless. Despite the challenges of illness and single parenthood, she was devoted to them, celebrating each of their milestones -- especially their high school graduations – with deep pride and excitement.

In addition to her boys and Bud, Susie will also be deeply missed by her parents, Alex and Kathy Marston of Madras; her siblings Jenny Marston (Jon and Evan Lavietes) of Portland, Katie Snyder (Mike Snyder) of Madras, and Patrick Marston (Megan, Henry, and Jack Marston) of Portland; and by an extended network of family and countless friends who were fortunate to know her.

Details for a memorial service will be shared at a later date.

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