Susan Whiting

Susan Diane WhitingBBSANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Susan Diane Whiting passed away quietly Thursday June 10, 2021, at her home in Santa Cruz, Calif., after a four-and-a-half-year-long battle with ovarian cancer. She was surrounded by family and friends. Susan is survived and loved by her three sons, Luke Whiting Risley, Benjamin Trong Nhan Whiting Risley, Jason Davis Whiting Risley, her husband, Christopher Alan Risley, and her brothers, Christopher Whiting, Thomas Whiting, Lee Whiting and Daniel Whiting plus numerous nephews and a niece. She was 61-years old.

Susan went to high school in Rumford, Maine, then attended Wheelock College, and graduated from University of Maine, Farmington with a degree in education. She taught elementary and middle school in several Maine school districts but her greatest professional joy was teaching Kindergarten. With her family, Susan owned a camp in Hanover, Maine and she lived with her family in Cumberland, Maine from 2005 until 2012.

Susan loved her boys, and babies, young children, plants and pets. Susan became the keeper of the family history and traced the family’s roots across New England and back as far as Charlemagne.

Susan was thrilled with the accomplishments of her young adult sons and their cousins. She made the world more beautiful for those fortunate enough to have been in her life.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a tax deductible contribution to the:

UCSF Foundation,

Box 45339,

San Francisco, CA 94145


Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.