Suzanne Benton Davis

“Suzy” Davis, 78, of Boulder, Colorado, passed away peacefully on October 2 in the loving arms of her husband, daughter and son after a battle with cancer. In her final days, she reminisced with her family about the good and giving life she had led as a wife, mother, grandmother and teacher.

Suzy was born to Albert "Tom" Benton and Dorothy "Micki" McKnight Benton near the family home in Glenwood, Iowa. Tom was a WWII veteran, and after the war he and Micki chose to make the Air Force a career. That took Suzy and her family to Japan, South Dakota, Northern Virginia and Hawaii.

She graduated from Campbell High School in Hawaii and went on to Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia, earning her education degree in 1971. She met Larry Davis in college, and they married that October, when he was a newly commissioned Air Force second lieutenant.

Suzy started teaching elementary school in Elkins, West Virginia. When Larry was stationed in Turkey, she spent three years teaching at the base Department of Defense Dependents School.

Back in the States, daughter Michelle arrived in 1975 and son Sean in 1978. In Albuquerque, NM, Suzy taught for several years with Albuquerque Public Schools, and in 1985 the family moved to Boulder.

She loved working with young children, and that led her to special education. She earned a master's degree in educational psychology, and in her later years she worked with children with severe and profound disabilities. She had incredible patience and love for the children who needed it most. Suzy retired after more than 30 years in the classroom, the last 22 with the Boulder Valley School District.

After retiring, Suzy's favorite thing in the world was to help her daughter care for her grandchildren. To them she was "Tutu," Hawaiian for grandmother, just as her own mom had been. The teacher in her never retired: she passed her love of reading on to her grandkids, always finding wonderful books to share with them. She and Larry spent winters in Florida, living near Michelle, Tim and the kids.

Hawaii never left Suzy's heart after her high school years there, and she carried the spirit of Aloha with her. The Air Force had taken her to the islands as a girl, and in 2016 it brought her back. When Michelle and family were stationed on Oahu, Suzy and Larry moved there too.

Suzy was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Micki Benton, and her granddaughter, Faith Rusch. She is survived by her husband, Larry Davis (Boulder); daughter Michelle (Tim) Rusch (Tavernier, FL); son Sean Davis (Boulder); grandchildren Rachel, Julia and Ryan Rusch; brother Michael (Deborah) Benton (Daly City, CA); sister-in-law Cheryl Davis (Belen, NM); and nephew Valery Benton (France).

She will be deeply missed by all who loved her and all she loved.