Susan Simon Crown

Susan Simon Crown, 57, of Piedmont died Monday morning, November 22, 2021, after a twenty-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Susan died at home, surrounded by her husband Greg, her children Katherine and George, and family as she had wished. Throughout her cancer journey, she continued to live a full, connected life with the things she cared about a priority, surrounded by the people she loved. Her family, sisters, and nieces and nephews were a tremendous comfort and support for her. She found time to share with others who were on the same journey, offering encouragement and the benefit of what she had learned in her treatment. Susan was remarkable in her ability to be grateful, compassionate, connected, and present despite successes and setbacks and the unpleasantness that she had to endure.

Susan was born in Poughkeepsie, NY to Joseph and Mary Louise Crown, the third of four sisters. She attended the local high school where she rowed crew on the Hudson River, earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Design at Hartwick College in Oneonta, and then landed a job in Boston at Bain & Company. She moved into marketing in the nascent computer publishing industry with a stint at PC Computing, and then relocated to San Francisco to work at Berkeley Systems. In the late 1990s, she joined an early startup to lead their marketing effort. Like many of the dot com era the startup didn’t work out, but she did meet her future husband Greg at the company. Susan and Greg were married in October of 2001 in the Hudson Valley among fall colors, Susan’s favorite time of year. After the birth of her 2nd child George, the couple relocated from San Francisco to Piedmont CA. As her children reached their teens, Susan channeled some of her energy into a new career with J. Hilburn as a men’s clothing stylist. As with many of Susan’s personal connections, frequently her clients became friends too. Susan was never happier than when she was combing a beach intent on finding that special heart-shaped rock or bit of “rare” blue sea-glass. Whether on Rodeo Beach in CA, or a beach on Cape Cod, MA or Little Compton, RI, Susan could find the most amazing heart rocks and collectible bits. She avidly collected and curated them and could always tell you where she found each one. More than once TSA questioned the weight and contents of her carry-on bag as she returned from an East Coast trip loaded with precious finds!

Susan had a passion for children’s issues and tirelessly supported the San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates (SFCASA), organization. She served on the board for many years, drove incredible fundraising (for which she was honored), and spent countless hours personally volunteering. She had a tremendous knack for turning “passion into action” to improve the experiences of youth and families trying to navigate the foster care system.

In addition to family and friends, hearts, and CASA, Susan’s other great love was art. She was a strong supporter of art education through local non-profit work. She had a lifelong personal interest in painting which she renewed and deepened in recent years. Art classes with her sisters Mary and Jane, and frequent small works in watercolor and acrylic created wherever she had a quiet moment gave her both peace and satisfaction.

She was nurturing and kind, creative, tenacious, and a fighter for the people and things she loved. Susan had bottomless energy and passion for her family, her friends, and for her causes. She was energized by people she met and with whom she connected. She could make a new friend for life in the space of an airplane ride. Her family and community have lost her, but we are so grateful that she shared herself and her love with us and thereby made us rich.

There will be a celebration of Susan’s life at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin on Union St. in San Francisco at 10AM on January 5th. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Susan’s memory to the pancreatic cancer support organization “Let’s Win” (https://letswinpc.org) or the “Pancreatic Cancer Action Network” (https://pancan. org).