Susan Faye Pickens

Susan was passionate about her environment. If you have lived in Evansville or Newburgh, chances are you have seen, visited or driven by a home she decorated, lived in, or built with her husband, faithful companion, and co-builder John Pickens. After vacationing in Charleston, Susan was determined to develop Evansville's only neo-traditional neighborhood, Sutherland. The first Evansville Living Idea House in Evansville was Susan's idea and followed soon after.

John and Susan were married in 1968 and rarely spent time apart. When John was deployed early in their marriage, Susan fearlessly followed and they spent their first years of marriage living in Okinawa. After Susan’s diagnosis, John became a constant and selfless caregiver.

Susan was a master gardener, community volunteer, member of the Bay View Association, participant in Bible Study Fellowship, water aerobics, and a talented interior designer who favored bold colors and red lipstick. She most recently worked at Enjolé Interiors. She enjoyed spending time with her book club and her “Bosse Babes” lunch group of friends from her high school years. She loved reading, historical homes and architecture, and sharing facts and collecting knowledge.

Susan never met a stranger. Whether it be in the grocery line or someone she met on the street, she frequently engaged strangers in conversation to the point where people would assume they had known each other for years. This quality frequently embarrassed her daughters in their youth but is now a trait that continues on in both surviving daughters, Stephanie Pickens (Rob Berntsen) and Leslie (Mike) Tegmeyer.

She cherished her time with grandchildren, Max, Sam, and Jack Tegmeyer, and Eleanor and John Henry Berntsen, frequently taking them on “safaris” in her red Volvo wagon, building stuffed animals at build-a-bear, and vacationing with them during summers in Bay View, Michigan.

Susan is also survived by her loving sister, Sharon Knight; brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Lonna Pickens, and nephews and nieces, Kyle, Jennifer and Lindsey.

The family would like to thank Ascension St. Vincent for their loving care in her final days.

A Celebration of Life Luncheon and Service will be held at Noon, Sunday November 20th at Rolling Hills Country Club in Newburgh.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you consider a contribution to the Susan Pickens Scholarship for the Arts, C/O Pike County Community Foundation P.O. Box 587, Petersburg, IN 47567. Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderNewburghChapel.com.