Susan Mecham
April 30, 1957 - November 15, 2015

Susan (Sue) Manley Mecham passed away unexpectedly in the early hours of Sunday, November 15, at the age of 58. It's truly amazing how one person can be so connected and touch so many lives.

Sue was born in Olympia, Washington, the first of three children to Robert and Arloween Manley. She graduated from Olympia High School in 1975 and attended Washington State University. Sue was a proud member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, through which she met many lifelong friends.

After graduating from Washington State in 1979 with a degree in marketing, Sue moved to Seattle to take a merchandising job with The Bon Marché. At an advertising turn-in meeting, Sue struck up a relationship with a Bon copywriter, Randy Mecham, which evolved into a 34-year romance.

Sue and Randy were married in 1986 and had two incredible daughters, Sophie and Natalie. Sue left the Bon to focus on raising her girls. She was active in Wedgwood Co-op Preschool, Bryant Elementary PTA, and encouraged and supported her daughters through dance classes, swim meets, soccer and softball games, Girl Scout activities and their beloved following of Children's Theatre.

Once the girls settled into Bryant, Sue took a position with Seattle Preparatory School. She loved the energy of the school, its faculty, Jesuits and the development staff. While at Prep, Sue attended Seattle University, earning her master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership (MNPL) in 2001.

In 2005, Sue joined the Fulcrum Foundation. For the next 10 years, she helped champion the organization's mission of leveraging support for Catholic Schools in Western Washington. Her close connection with the extended Fulcrum family and its many supporters made a profound impact on Sue's life.

Volunteerism was close to Sue's heart. She served on the Guild Association Board for Seattle Children's hospital, earning Emeritus Trustee status. In addition, Sue was a mentor for Seattle University's MNPL program and an Alpha Sigma mentor for the Thetas. She is a past president of the Frances W. Nordstrom Guild supporting Seattle Children's, and a 25-year active member of the Guild. Sue also had a passion for gardening, travel, birdwatching, spending time on the water or a beach, cheering on the Zags and WSU Cougars, and enjoying pedicures with her daughters.

Sue is survived by her husband Randy; daughters Sophie and Natalie; mother Arlo Manley; sister Judy (Bill) Patten; aunt Ruth (Cliff) Mulberg; uncle Arthur (Jackie) Peters; as well as many close cousins, nieces, nephews and in-laws. Her father Bob and brother Paul preceded her in death.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sue's memory to the Fulcrum Foundation or Seattle Children's.

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