Susan Jean Osburn

Susan Osburn, a resident of Arlington, Virginia, for the past 36 years, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday morning, September 16, 2018. Her husband, Jim Hecker, survives her, as do her two children, Jean Hecker of Durham, North Carolina, and Andrew Walkowiak of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition, Susan leaves one surviving sister, Ellen Johnson and four granddaughters: Audrey, Abigail, Alice and Amelia, all of whom live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During her professional working life, Susan always pursued her love of vocal music performance in tandem with her day job. She initially received an undergraduate degree in Medical Technology from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and worked in that field for ten years. After graduation, she pursued further studies in voice and opera theatre, part-time, at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. From 1974 to 1978 she was a professional chorister with the Milwaukee Florentine Opera Company, performing in twelve staged operas. Following her marriage to Jim Hecker in 1979, the couple moved to the Washington, D.C. area where Jim pursued a legal career in litigation on behalf of environmental groups. In Washington, Susan’s first position was as a health policy analyst for the National Women’s Health Network. She then became involved with the Dumbarton Concerts, where she assumed multiple responsibilities involved with concert production, programming and operations. After leaving that position, she received a master’s degree in Psychological Services (School Guidance Counselling) at Marymount University in Arlington. Her final position was with the Lymphoma Foundation of America, initially as Director of Counseling and Research, and finally as Executive Director. Her primary focus was counseling lymphoma patients and conducting a systematic survey and analysis of scientific literature concerning the relationship between pesticides and lymphoma. In her life as a professional singer in Washington, Susan performed with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, the Washington Bach Consort, and the Norman Scribner Choir. She served as a professional chorister at St. Albans Episcopal Church and Christ Church, Georgetown Episcopal and as a volunteer chorister at Clarendon United Methodist Church. As a soprano with the Choral Arts Society, she had the distinction of performing with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductors such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Erich Leinsdorf and Leonard Bernstein. At a soloist and chamber musician, Susan performed solo recitals and chamber music concerts at George Washington University, Marymount University, the U.S. Botanic Gardens, the Mexican Cultural Institute, the Dumbarton United Methodist Church, National Presbyterian Church, the British Embassy, and the Art Museum of the Americas. Susan was also a composer and co-founder of the “Opera Piccola” chamber opera company in Arlington. Memorial services will be held in Arlington at Clarendon United Methodist Church, located at 606 N. Irving Street at 1:00 pm on Saturday, September 29, 2018. A memorial service in Milwaukee will be held on October 6, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. at Grace Presbyterian Church located at 2931 South Kinnickinnic Avenue. As expressions of sympathy, flowers may be donated to either church for use during the two memorial services.