"I worked with Susan for many years and she was truly a gifted artist and wonderful person. A gentle, lovely, involved person. A true loss. My sympathies to her family and friends. Deb H."
In loving memory of
Susan McQuade
November 11, 1946 - February 8, 2018
Madison - Susan McQuade died Thursday, February 8, after suffering a brain aneurism on Tuesday, February 6. She is survived by her brother Stanley Wachs of Los Angeles, California; niece Cindy Scarr of Jerusalem, Israel; nephew Jonathan Wachs of Concord, Massachusetts; nephew Joshua Wachs of Arlington, Massachusetts; former husband Dennis McQuade of Madison, Wisconsin; ten grand-nephews, many cousins, and a devoted community of friends.
She was born Susan Marjorie Wachs in Brooklyn on November 11, 1946, the daughter of the late Frances and Benjamin Wachs. She attended school in Queens, New York. Susan graduated from Harpur College, State University of New York in Binghamton in 1967. Her majors were in English Literature and Theater. It was at Harpur where she met her soon-to-be lifelong friends, Jeannette Golden and Donna Peckett, and all three of them eventually settled in Madison, Wisconsin.
Susan was a complex and tremendously talented woman, a gifted graphic artist and actress. Her work life included stints at Wisconsin Public Radio and the Madison Public Library, performing at Broom Street Theater, and designing the Jewelers Workshop logo.
A committed progressive before it was cool, she was always enormously informed about the news of the day and ready to share her beliefs. She was a cat lover, but not a cat lady, and something of a recluse - an analog woman in a digital world.
Susan was adored by her nephews and niece, known for being a great back scratcher and full of humor. A giver of gifts and a maker of jewelry, Susan was an essential part of her friends' lives. She was authentic, artistic, funny, and the sort of friend you could always count on in all kinds of circumstances.
She will be profoundly missed.
A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 12:00 noon at the Sunset Memorial Gardens Chapel, 7302 Mineral Point Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53717. Burial will follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks individuals to make donations to a cause they, and Susan, support.
Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
608-238-3434