Susan Brown Nash, a long-time resident of Rye, passed away surrounded by loving family on September 25th, 2023 a few weeks after her 89th birthday.
Born in Chicago, and raised in Winnetka, Illinois, Susan graduated from Smith College (B.A.) and from NYU (M.A.) both in English. She worked in book and magazine publishing in Boston and New York City until moving to Rye in 1966 where she became a self-described “professional volunteer” at her children’s schools; singing for many joyful years with the Christ’s Church Choir and Madrigal Singers; with the Twig organization, receiving the Reggie Klein Award for Service; and for many years on the board of the Edith Read Wildlife Sanctuary where she conceived the memorial to its founder and served as secretary. She loved living in Rye and cherished her 40 years residing on Centre Street.
She was a lover of the arts, maintaining season tickets to the ballet for many years, frequenting the latest Broadway shows, filling her walls with paintings and prints, and collecting music of all genres, particularly popular songs from her childhood and classical/liturgical music she sang in her early life and with the Smith College Chamber Singers. She also loved nature and gardening; she kept her flowers flourishing without pesticides, and her yard on Centre Street became a refuge for the neighborhood wildlife. Above all, Sue was a lifelong reader, writer, and deep thinker, and after health problems limited her mobility, she continued to thrive with the help of her devotion to record keeping, reading, and writing until days before her passing. Her correspondence with friends and relatives via the U.S. Mail was a lifelong passion. She was rarely seen without a book, newspaper, or pen in her hand. She was a true friend to many and will be missed by them and her family, all precious to her.
She is survived by two children; Jim (Becky Kinal) and Emily (Geoff Zentz); grandchildren Percy and Lanny Zentz, and many nieces and nephews and descendants of her departed sister Nancy (Paul Armstrong) and many dear, lifelong friends.
Donations in Susan’s memory can be made to the Smith College Scholarship Aid Fund, the American Cancer Society, or the Wildlife Conservation Society.
A memorial service will be held at Christ’s Church Rye on Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.
