Susan Phillips (1953-2023) passed away peacefully, returning to her place in the universe, united with her beloved creator.

Susie was a passionate teacher, writer, an empathetic listener, someone who saw the best in and brought out the best in people. Maybe that’s why she named her daughter Joy—because she found so much joy in her life, in her faith, and in being a mom.

Susie was born to Julie & Bill Voden in 1953. One of four siblings, Susie was a child of the Sixties, growing up listening to the Beatles, Motown and folk music. Her passion for books and stories would lead her to major in English at Cal State Long Beach. Though she loved her studies, the all-nighters and pressures of college wore on her, and she was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Thanks to the support of her family, she continued her schooling and started secretarial work.

At the same time, she was discovering her Christian faith, and becoming more and more active in her new church, especially in fundraisers for the needy. At one of these church gatherings she also met Paul, and they were soon engaged to be married.

In 1983, their daughter Joy was born. Susie was a dedicated mom and had endless fun raising her daughter. Once Joy was in daycare, Susie returned to her calling to teach. Her passion for kids was inexhaustible: from teaching kindergarten, to working as a teacher’s aide, to her time teaching at an ESL tutoring center, where she taught Taiwanese kids with English as a second language to read and write. She was committed to helping kids learn to read, and continued to do so long after she retired. In Riverside, she enjoyed volunteering at a local nature center, where she took kids on nature walks.

Susie steadfastly believed in God’s love for us messy humans, because she experienced it powerfully in her own life. She shared this love with others, for example by writing to church members in need of prayer, sharing her poems and words of encouragement with them. Someone recently told me “your mom was the kindest lady”; and I absolutely agree. She loved to share her gifts to brighten someone else’s day.

Susie considered her creativity a gift from God and always looked for opportunities to share it in ways that would bless others. Whether drawing, writing poetry, or making crafts—often with others—she wanted to spread beauty and delight throughout her world and lift up others around her in that way.

She had a satisfying and rewarding life, and she had a support system in place that helped her immensely—including a circle of very dedicated friends. Later in life, when diabetes came into the mix, she moved to assisted living in order to get help with insulin and monitoring her blood sugar. Her time in assisted living was not easy, although she loved the day program she attended. What was striking was how—as long as she was fit enough—she was always looking for ways to encourage and uplift people, which blessed her as well.

In her own words: "Step out and give a person a little attention or a smile. You may be surprised!" And: "A good attitude allows me to be happy about life. This allows me to be happy for another’s abundance."

We will be adding a fundraiser here to support a local literacy organization in her honor, and thus continue her life's work.

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