Obituary of Susan Laura Beyer Profit

Susan Laura Beyer Profit passed away Thursday, March 25, 1010 at 6 am at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. She had been ill for three years with multiple myeloma. At the time of the myeloma diagnosis her kidneys had failed and she was placed on dialysis three days a week. In the latter stages of her illness she developed heart problems and diabetes, losing one leg to gangrene in 2009. Early on, her hands were affected and she had to relearn to write, knit and cross stitch. The last year of her life was split between a prolonged stay at Avalon Care Center in Federal Way, Washington, and various hospitals in the Puget Sound Region. Susan was born January 1, 1955, in Evanston, Cook County, Illinois. Her parents were Kenneth Donald and Bertie Pauline Henson Beyer who lived at 1924 West Roscoe Street in Chicago, Illinois, in an apartment building owned by Susan's great grandmother Jennie Walters Jennings Simon. Susan grew up in Olympia, Washington, although the family had also lived in Chicago, Illinois; Sat Lake City, Utah; and Missoula and Helena, Montana. She attended public schools in Olympia, Washington, and graduated from William Winlock Miller High School in June 1973. Susan graduated from Centralia College, Centralia, Washington, on June 13, 1975, with an Associate of Arts degree, concentration on Psychology and English. She graduated from The Evergreen State College on June 5, 1977, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, concentration on English. From 1978-1979 she worked as a Reference Assistant at the Washington State Law Library. In her youth, Susan was an avid Girl Scout from Brownies through Senior Scouting. She particularly loved camping and annual extended Scout trips, ranging from canoeing on Puget Sound to trekking through Wyoming, and hiking in Yosemite. She worked as a Girl Scout counselor and also as a counselor at the Olympia YMCA. In about 1980 Susan moved to Pullman, Washington, where she worked as a computer hardware technician for Pullman Software. In Pullman she met the love of her live, William "Bill" Donald Profit, son of Lewis Franklin Profit and Alice Matilda Wiese of Auburn, Washington. Susan and Bill were marred in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington, by Supreme Court Justice James R. Dolliver on July 3, 1981. She babysat for Justice Dolliver's three youngest children from 1970-1978 and also knew him from her work at the Olympia YMCA, singing in the choir at United Church of Christ and work as a reference clerk at the Washington State Law Library. He charged a bottle of gin for the ceremony in good Irish tradition. For the next twenty years Susan and Bill lived in Auburn, Washington, where Bill was Technical Director and teacher at the Auburn High School Performing Arts Theater. In the earlier days of their marriage, Susan and Bill belonged to the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). The SCA is an international nonprofit educational organization, dedicated to the preservation, research and re-creation of the crafts, arts and experiences of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. All the attendees participated. Bill Profit as a Scots descendant was interested in woodworking, armored combat and fencing. Susan was interested in weaving, spinning, cross stitch, cooking, costuming, dancing and vocal music. Susan sang well and played a dulcimer. To her SCA associates she became known as Fiona Drummond of Perth and Mother Fiona. In 1983 Susan participated in a Fantasia production as a belly dancer, probably a production at the Auburn Performing Arts Center. Susan loved fiber arts and was an accomplished needlework artisan producing many exquisite gifts for others. She crocheted, knitted, tatted, created pull lacework [Hardanger[, and carded, dyed and spun her own wool into yarn. Susan demonstrated her skills at many county fairs and taught her arts to anyone who was interested in learning them. She very much enjoyed participating in her Stitch and Bitch group. Particularly noteworthy was her cross stitching. She used one thread over one thread, many times working over Aida cloth of 36 stitches per inch. Her family things her cross stiching work is museum quality. From 1984 to 2003 Susan was active as a dedicated and tireless civic minded volunteer who loved children, the performing arts, and helping other with disabilities. She volunteered for 10 years as a poll inspector for the King County Department of Elections from 1988 to 1998. She organized the polling place, called for other poll workers, oversaw the workers and troubleshot voter difficulties with the county office on election day, oversaw post-election on-site ballot security and accounting, and delivered the ballots to the collection depot. From 1984-1985 she volunteered and worked as a library assistant, Auburn High School School Learning Resource Center and from 1988 to 2003 she worked as a Pacific Days volunteer, City of Pacific. She did general festival planning, recruiting volunteers, working performance stages, booth layout planning, and was a general troubleshooter. She conducted an art show including brochure development. For two years Susan volunteered as a stage hand at the Auburn Performing Arts Center and Auburn Riverside Theater from 1996 to 1998 where she worked on set construction and painting; hanging lights; inventory and tool maintenance; electrical and sound assistance; costume repair and maintenance; prepared for, ran and worked shows, meetings and conventions. Susan volunteered as a radio newscaster for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library in downtown Seattle from 1998 to 2003. She researched and recorded a weekly hour-long radio news and information program. She also conducted recorded interviews with an international list of authors on their books. For a time she also broadcast recipes for the blind. From 1998 to 2003 Susan worked as a Bravo volunteer, City of Auburn, Cultural Programming. She ushered and collected tickets; cashiered; did lobby setup and pre-show preparation. From 2000-2003 Susan organized, installed and ran the art show for the Auburn Good Ol' Days. This included development of computerized tracking system and design and content of brochures. She cashiered for entry fees and art sales and prizes. She recruited and managed volunteers, judges and artists to install and docent the shows. In 2003 Susan organized, installed and ran an art show for Uniquely Auburn for the Trillium Corporation. She designed and manages Artist Prospective brochures and entries generated from them. After Bill's death in 2003, Susan relocated to Kent, Washington, and entered the work force where she worked for several employers in temporary employment until she was permanently employed by Triumph Expo. She was working at Triumph Expo when she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. On her resume, Susan said, "Recently returning to the workforce after a hiatus, I received Employee of the Quarter at my first assignment because of my hard work, detail oriented focus and cheerful team player approach." Susan lived a spiritual life and received great comfort from her beliefs. She became a minister of the Universal Life Church on February 1, 1994, and performed many services including marriages and baptisms. Susan was predeceased by her father, Kenneth Donald Beyer, her paternal grandmother, Viola Laura Jennings Beyer, both of Tumwater, and her maternal grandparents, Marshall and Georgia Rebecca Faughn Henson of Bloomington, Illinois. Her beloved mother-in-law Alice Wiese Profit Goshorn of Auburn, Washington, passed away in August of 2008. Susan is survived by her mother and stepfather, Bertie and Arthur Chapinski of Olympia, Washington; her sister Patricia Genevieve Curtis of Darrington, Washington; her sister Elizabeth Holly Beyer of Vancouver, Washington; and her brother and sister-in-law, Michael Kenneth and Karen Spezza Beyer of Olympia, Washington. She is also survived by three stepsisters, Anne Balliett and husband Scott Snyder of Centralia, Washington; Caroline Balliett and husband Dee Swearingen of The Dalles, Washington; Carrie Chapinski of Shelton, Washington; and two nieces, Alexandria Dakota Snyder and Leigh Anne Meyer-Beyer. Family and friends will gather at the home of Susan's mother at 9043 Wendy Drive SE, Olympia, Washington, on Sunday, April 18, 2010, at 1:30 pm for an open house to celebrate Susan's life. Her family suggests that memorial donations in honor of Susan may be made to the St. Joseph Indian School, Chamberlain, South Dakota 57316 - (605) 234-3300 - www.stjo.org/dreams, or to the Auburn Performing Arts Theater, Auburn, Washington. Peace be with you Susan, and God's Blessings on Your Soul.