Susan West Friedman ~ Presente !
After having been surrounded by family and friends our beloved Susan passed from this world in the wee hours of Halloween 2009. We are saddened by her quick and untimely departure, but we also have so much to celebrate.
It was extremely gratifying to have a whole community come together in support of us. A new world is possible.
Celebrate Susan
I invite you to an open house in honor of Susan's life, her home, and
her life of involvement in social justice.
Our home will be open
Saturday, Oct. 31st from 5 – 10 pm
3442 46th St, SD 92105
In a few weeks we will have a more formal memorial service where others can share their sentiments.
Martin Eder 619-871-9354
Although Susan was relatively new to San Diego she made an indelible mark and a multitude of friends in short order. She joined the Board of Directors of Activist San Diego and served as one of its 3 officers. Susan reveled in the idea of building a network for social justice that would engage new people and in the pending launch of ASD's Community Radio Project. Susan was an enthusiastic member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, believing that it was essential to have a long-term, post-capitalist vision to complement local grassroots activism. The Iraq/Afghan wars were so abhorrent to her that she seldom missed a SD Coalition for Peace and Justice meeting, worked with Code Pink and was passionate about the Stop Blackwater campaign. After attending the US Social Forum in Atlanta she contributed her organizing skills so as to create a similar project locally. I could go on…
Susan and I thrived in the wonders of nature. Love and respect for the environment ran through our blood. Susan and I drove from New York to California encountering every National Park and natural wonder possible. We traveled down the Blue Ridge Highway, Smoky Mountains Natl. Park, up the Mississippi Valley, across the great plains into the Rockies, visiting Canyon de Chelly in the Navajo Nation and meandering through the Southwest – never once relying on the Interstate. We camped out or stayed with activist friends all along the way. We took epic excursions down through pristine Baja and up the Redwood Coast through Oregon in a classic VW campervan. We made the decision to get married while hiking through the Narrows in Zion Natl. Park. For my 60th birthday she arranged for us to climb Half Dome in Yosemite. Mother Nature was our spiritual retreat.
Susan was a fabulous cook; she loved good wine and feeding great company. She gravitated toward those who sought deeper human bonds. From her teenage participation in the African-American Civil Rights movement to her recent defense of marriage equality she always cherished the quest for equality. For this reason Susan and I conceived of the
Susan West Friedman Fund for Civil and Human Rights
She wanted this to be her legacy. We welcome your participation and will cherish your donations.
In her professional life as Executive Vice-President of Sun and Moon Marketing she took a strong interest in green building, urban redevelopment and community renewal. She made many friends, especially among the women of CREW.
Sadly, in a matter of just 12 weeks Susan succumbed to the invading brain tumors that stole her vital functions. Like a good guerrilla fighter, her spirit relinquished the territory of a dying body and now travels freely among the people. Her fighting spirit lives on with us wherever people struggle for Justice.
Nevertheless, I miss her deeply as do so many of you. Let us renew our commitment to each other and all that will sustain our natural and human environments. In loving one another we show our lasting love for Susan and all she stood for.
Martin – October 31st, 200
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