Obituaries

Susan Elizabeth Cranshaw passed away peacefully in the company of faithful friends on December 5, 2018 after a long and determined effort to recover from surgery for a brain tumor. She was born on July 18, 1949 in Chicago, IL and was the daughter of the late Robert W. Cranshaw and Elizabeth Otto Cranshaw. Susan grew up in Fayetteville, New York, and attended Keuka College in upstate New York, where she studied art, her life-long passion. She continued her formal education with an advanced degree in ceramics from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Susan operated a ceramic studio, initially in Weston, Vermont, and later in San Miquel de Allende, Mexico, and earned professional praise and acclaim for her creative pottery designs and innovative work with glazing techniques. After a major illness 20 years ago, Susan relocated to Wimberley, Texas and, forced to abandon ceramics for health reasons, began to experiment in a new medium. Working under the name of Susan Cranshaw Designs, she created intricate and detailed quilts inspired by the region that involved the use of a variety of different fabrics and textures in each unique work of art. She sold patterns for her works and was actively involved in teaching workshops for those inspired to learn from her experience. Susan quickly came to love her home in Wimberley and, through her friendships within that community, came to realize a satisfying peace and happiness that sustained her to the end of her life.

Susan is survived by her dog Bertie, her brother and his wife, David and Jane Cranshaw of Atlanta, Georgia, and their sons, John and Matthew, her brother and his wife, Bill and Melanie Cranshaw of Simsbury, Connecticut, and their daughters, Emily and Shelby, and many members of her mother’s Otto family, all of whom now grieve her passing.

A service and celebration of Susan’s life will be held at her church, Unity of Wimberley on Sunday, December 9, at 11:00 a.m., with a brief reception to follow.

To plant a tree in memory of Susan Elizabeth Cranshaw, please visit our Tribute Store.

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