Susan M. Ayer

Susan had two passions in her life: pleasing the people she cared about, and a deep love of nature. In her youth there was nothing she enjoyed more than digging in the dirt, planting her beautiful flowers and herbs. She took great pleasure in feeding and watching the birds, squirrels, raccoons, and even skunks as they romped in our yard. As Susan became proficient with her "big girl phone," as she put it, she enjoyed animal videos, and became a dedicated follower of the Big Bear Valley eagles, Jackie and Shadow (Go to bbveaglecam1; you'll be hooked).

Susan was an accomplished artist, photographer, and an excellent cook, specializing in baked goods. Her gift packages were hard to open they were so beautiful, you just wanted to admire them.

Susan is survived by her lesser half of almost 52 years, David of Old Saybrook; sister Nannette Scialla of Waterford; brother Raymond Peters of Westbrook; uncle John Wojewudski (Marie) and their daughter Kristen of East Haddam; aunt Rita Miller of New Jersey; uncle Charles Cristella (Nancy) of Florida; and cousin Janice Goldis of Philadelphia. She also leaves her soul sisters, Lisa Dutton (Tim) and Roxanne Eurto (Bob) of Clinton.

Donations in Susan's memory may be sent to "Friends of Big Bear Valley," who are fighting to keep developers out of Jackie and Shadow's territory.