67, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 10, 2014, at Cottage Hospital surrounded by her family following a catastrophic stroke. Susan was born May 30, 1946 in Lewistown, Montana to Ruth and Grant Viertel. She spent her childhood in Lewistown where she graduated from Fergus County High School in 1964 as Salutatorian. Susan met and dated Chuck Samuel in high school. After a brief hiatus during their freshmen year of college, where they both attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Susan asked Chuck to her sorority dance and thus began a lifelong, loving partnership. In 1968 she graduated MSU with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and married Chuck. They moved to Berkeley, California, where she worked at Cutter Pharmaceuticals, and then to Durham, North Carolina, where she worked at the Duke Medical Center hospital laboratory.
In 1973, Chuck and Susan moved to Santa Barbara. Susan worked as a medical technologist at the Santa Barbara County Hospital, and Chuck joined the faculty at UC Santa Barbara. Susan supported Chuck through his faculty career, and most importantly was a loving and fulltime mother of their two children, Jon, born 1977, and Dave, born 1979. She was very proud of her family: Jon is pursuing his career as a surgeon, and Dave a career in biology and working outdoors.
Once her two sons were well into elementary school at Mountain View where she served as PTA President, Susan returned to her longstanding love of music. Susan was a key leader within the music community in Santa Barbara, having served as President of the SB County Branch of the Music Teachers Association of California. Susan taught piano lessons from her home studio for thirty years and was very active in the California MTA Certificate of Merit Program. She worked hard and diligently to become the best teacher she could, tailoring her instruction to the individual needs of her students.
Susan was a Montana girl. She maintained a close connection to her beloved Central Montana where she spent part of each summer. She savored life’s simple pleasures, whether it be coffee together with her husband every morning in the “wood room” after walking their dog Cassie together, attending a musical event or a Laker’s game, reading, or just being with h e r small, but close, family. Susan always had a smile, and was an incredibly gifted and talented, and unassuming, woman.
Susan is survived by her husband, Chuck Samuel of Santa Barbara; son, Dave of Portland, OR; son, Jon and daughter-in-law Emilia of Durham, NC, who are expecting their first child, a boy; a brother, Jim Viertel, of MT; sister-in-law, Elaine Samuel and nieces Rebecca and Kari and nephew Jas of MT. She was predeceased by her parents and a brother, Gordon Viertel.
The family wishes to give special thanks to Drs. Zauner and Delio, their teams and the entire staff at Cottage Hospital for their heroic efforts and attentive care.
A memorial service of Susan’s wonderful life will be held Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 2 PM at the Cambridge Drive Community Church, 550 Cambridge Drive, Goleta.
Remembrances in Susan’s memory for the “Susan Samuel Scholarship” in music education may be made to the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, PO Box 3620, Santa Barbara, CA 93130.
