Susan Joan Adkison

Tualatin

Feb. 17, 1957 — Jan. 14, 2022

Susan Joan Adkison, of Tualatin, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Jan. 14, 2022, after a courageous, protracted battle with metastatic cancer and lung fibrosis. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family.

Susan was born Feb. 17, 1957, in Riverside, California, where her father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force. She grew up in the coastal community of Eureka, California.

After graduating from Eureka High School in 1975, she moved to New York to become a flight attendant for Pan American World Airways. She loved travel and gourmet foods and her time at Pan Am allowed her to see and experience much of the world.

Some years later, she returned to Eureka to complete an accounting degree. After graduating from Humboldt State University, she worked for Touche Ross in the Bay Area, and during that time obtained her certified public accountant license.

In 1996, Susan moved to Eugene to accept a position as a tax accountant with Coopers & Lybrand, later transitioning to corporate accounting with John Labatt Foods. That fall she met the love of her life, and husband of 33 years, Dan.

The couple married two years later, in 1988, and moved to Lake Oswego. They welcomed their daughter, Kathleen, in July 1991. Susan left the workforce a short time later and transitioned to being a full-time mom, something she referred to as her “best job ever.”

The couple moved to Tualatin in 1994, and were blessed to be surrounded by amazing friends and neighbors. They split time between their home in Tualatin and a lovingly restored beach cottage in Gearhart, built in 1906.

During the pandemic, they became full-time Gearhart residents. It was coming full circle for Susan, once again living in a vibrant oceanfront community, much like during her youth. She enjoyed the coast air, strolling the pristine beaches and watching for birds and whales as they migrated south for the winter.

Susan was a kind and gentle spirit, a person with boundless enthusiasm, and someone who invested her heart and soul into the care and well-being of her family and friends.

Susan’s love for her creator was evident throughout her life, and served as an example to all who knew and loved her.

Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Gregg and Joan Conlan; her sister, Amy Conlan; and sister-in-law, Susan Mumby.

She is survived by her husband, Dan Adkison; daughter, Kathleen Adkison; sister, Katy Conlan and her partner, Jeanne Tuft; brother-in-law, Tom Adkison; sister-in law, Joanna (Adkison) Small and her husband, Kelly Small; brother-in-law, Rick Zabel; nephew, Grant Small, and his wife, Bethany; niece, Allison (Small) Montgomery, and her husband, Nathan; niece, Scout Zabel; and a host of beloved great-nieces and nephews, extended family members, friends and neighbors.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that remembrances be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation of Oregon or a charity of your choosing.

Susan’s celebration of life ceremony will be held at later date, to be announced.