Suzanne Northrop McPherson, a social worker and therapist for more than 40 years, died at home on December 4 after living with cancer for three years. She was 69. Born on April 2, 1941, Sue was the third child of John ‘Chappie’ and Joyce Northrop of Enosburg Falls, Vermont. She graduated from Enosburg Falls High School in 1959, from Keuka College in 1963, and received a master’s degree in social work from the University of Hawaii. Sue and Doug McPherson married in 1967 and moved to Hawaii that year. They lived and raised their daughters there until 1987, when they returned to the mainland, living first in Colorado and then Utah. They loved the mountains, skiing in winter and hiking and camping at Moab and Zion in the summer. In July this year, Sue and Doug moved to Pacific Palisades to be nearer their daughters and to once again enjoy the ocean. Sue is survived by her husband of 43 years, Douglas McPherson; two daughters, Errin of Pacific Palisades and Christina of Captain Cook, Hawaii; a brother and sister-in-law, John and Donna Northrop of Lisbon, New Hampshire; and two sisters, Sally Pederson of Boston, Massachusetts, and Mary Northrop of Littleton, New Hampshire. Sue was a gifted athlete, an outspoken proponent for peace and justice, and a passionate liberal well-known to newspaper editors far and wide. Her strength and spirit live on in her two beautiful daughters.
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