Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Susan was born to her parents, Eleanore and Harland Jensen, on May 27th, 1943 in Covina. She was raised with her older sister Sherry in El Monte, a rural town with dairy farms and dirt roads. The girls both had a strong sense of security growing up as the family was middle class.

As a homemaker, her mother was an expert seamstress who loved to read and always seemed to have a book in her hand. Her father worked as a skilled electrician and craftsman and his talents were very valuable in the workforce. Her father also collected Model T's and, many years later, he gifted Susan with a 1921 Model T Doctors Coupe.

Susan's father and grandfather built her a wooden battery-powered jeep that she loved with all her heart. It had a trunk to carry her dolls and it was painted red like a fire engine.

When Susan was in the first grade, there were two neighbor boys who would tease her. When she had enough, she gave one of those little boys a big black eye. Susan was a sweet little girl, unless you pushed her too far.

Susan and her sister had early responsibilities washing dishes and cleaning the swimming pool. After her sister left home, Susan took on the ironing in the family in exchange for money so she could purchase vinyl records. She loved listening to music, especially rock music.

Susan was quite the prankster. On a dare, she even drove her MG up and down the hallways of Glendale Academy in high school. She thought she had gotten away with it, but the next day the principal called her into his office and said he saw Susan coasting past the classroom in her car. He let her off the hook if she promised to keep her car in the parking lot. It was a promise she kept.

Susan met the love of her life first at a pool hall and later at a friend's wedding. His name was Earl Sidwell Jr. Now, Sid had a different date for the wedding but he told Susan, "I'll take my date home and I'll be right back." That's exactly what he did. The couple started dating that night.

On March 21st, 1963, Susan and Sid were married here at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills. Susan was only 18-years-old when she was married. Rose petals fell from the ceiling at the Church of the Hills. The couple honeymooned in Las Vegas, where Sid hit a $100 silver dollar jackpot.

The couple had an incredible marriage. Sid made coffee for Susan every morning. He'd buy her special things at the market. He wanted to give Susan the world.

Susan was overjoyed with the births of their two wonderful sons: Scott and Sean. Susan was a wonderful mother who was very caring and supportive. She loved her sons very much and always wanted the best for both of them.

Scott walked at nine months old, spoke in full sentences as a baby, and used his crib as a trampoline to jump out of the first story window into the yard. Meanwhile, Sean walked at a much later age, because he just loved to be held. She adored her sons. She was very proud that Scott and Sean both grew up and found success as general contractors, much like their father, Sid.

Professionally, both Susan and Sid worked to support the family. Susan was proud of Sid's work at Disney Studios as a set decorator, working on many famous projects including Mary Poppins, The Partridge Family, the Disney Railroad and his work as a general contractor.

Susan also held many jobs. She owned a beauty supply store. She worked at Home Savings Bank for 16 years. And then she worked for a scientist at JPL in Pasadena working on a project that sent a satellite to orbit the sun. The project was a huge success.

Susan adored her grandchildren: Tiffany, Ashley, Chelsea, Destiny, and Sean William. She helped to raise her granddaughters. Each one of them was lucky enough to live with Grandma Susi and Grandpa Sid at least once in their lives.

Sean William was their pride and joy in their later years. They loved having a baby in the family after all of the other grandchildren had grown to teenagers.

Both Susan and Sid showed their grandchildren love and support. Grandma Susi was always thrilled to spend time with the kids, spoil them, and love them with all of her heart.

For the past few years, Tiffany was able to spend many weekends with her, hanging out on the couch watching movies and sharing delicious dinners at her cabin in Arrowhead. Tiffany is forever grateful that they spent that time together.

Three years ago, she was so happy when her first great-grandchild Kane was born that she drove five hours to meet him at the hospital and then turned around and drove all the way home.

Grandma Susi loved giving hugs, cuddling the babies in the family and rocking them in her big wooden rocking chair. She never missed a chance to tell everyone how much she loved them.

With many favorites in life, Susan loved rock singers and soft rock music. One of her favorite singers was James Taylor while Sid was more of a Sinatra fan.

Grandma Susi was an excellent cook. She made comforting dinners at home. Papa Sid would barbeque and he was masterful with steaks and chicken. For the holidays, she was the Queen of cooking. She could pull off a huge holiday Christmas dinner with turkey, ham, prime rib, side dishes, and appetizers. She made recipes she learned from her mother. Everyone loved her American Chop Suey. She even made recipe boxes for her grandchildren with her handwritten recipes. Chelsea makes those recipes for Matt and Kane. Ashley and Alfred loved spending time in the kitchen with Grandma, too.

Susan and Sid went out to eat steak dinners at Stoners Restaurant. They were also in a bowling league at a local bowling alley.

Susan enjoyed outdoor activities such as water skiing, snow skiing, and dirt bike riding on family trips. There were family trips to Bass Lake, Lake Tahoe, and Ensenada, Mexico.

She had other talents as well. She was known in the family for her expert gift-wrapping skills, which she picked up from holiday jobs at Bullocks. Her hobbies included quilting, crafting dollhouses, crocheting Afghans, knitting, and sewing. She'd even hot glue beautiful Christmas decorations. She had her cosmetology license and she enjoyed doing manicures and dying hair. She was always busy, always giving and always doing something special.

Sadly, in 2006, Sid passed away. Susan described it as the most difficult time in her life because their lives were so intertwined. Susan and the entire family missed him tremendously. But Susan felt lucky to have had such a wonderful marriage.

In 2012, she retired from Cal Tech and moved to the family's vacation home in Lake Arrowhead. She loved that beautiful lakeside cabin for her retirement. She took care of her three dogs, went shopping in the village, made trips to the pharmacy and went to the post office. She dug her car out of the snow in the winter. She played solitaire on the computer and she watched NASCAR, Lakers basketball games, Turner Classic movies, Law and Order, Wheel of Fortune, Murder She Wrote and The View. Barbara Walters was one of her favorite hosts. She enjoyed her morning talk shows, taking Jacuzzi baths, and reading the Sunday newspaper. She had a stack of crossword dictionaries and a special pencil to complete her crossword puzzles.

Holidays were always spent at her home and she invited her entire family every year. She'd have a crock pot filled with hot chili with all of the fixin's ready for everyone coming up the mountain.

She lived in Lake Arrowhead by herself until April 2015 when she moved into Sean's home.

In the end, Susan was surrounded by her family. Everyone told her how much they loved her and they did one of the hardest things there is to do – they gave her permission to go to be with Papa in heaven. She passed away peacefully with family members by her side.

Susan will best be remembered as loving, classy, gracious, thoughtful, and nostalgic. Everyone in the family will miss her stories about the good old days, the holiday gatherings, and especially… her presence.

Her advice to everyone was to keep your nose clean, work hard, find someone you'd love to spend your life with, and save money for your retirement. She also advised against having too many dogs. Ultimately, she believed that good morals and values could be taught but more importantly, they are earned.

She was preceded in death by her parents Eleanore and Harland; her sister Sherry; and her husband Sid.

She is loved and remembered by her son Scott; her son Sean and daughter-in-law Xochitl; her grandchildren Tiffany, Ashley, Chelsea, Destiny, and Sean William; her great-grandson Kane; extended family and close friends.

See Earl's marker here: http://celebrantpam.com/memorials/earlsidwelljr.html.