Obituary of Susan Hiebert

SUSAN HIEBERT:

It is with great sadness that the family of Susan Virginia Hiebert, aged 61, long-time resident of Dawson Creek, announce her passing.

Susan was born at the Royal Canadian Memorial Hospital in Taplow, England - January 17, 1960. She attended Croesyceiliog School in South Wales. Susan enjoyed nature and country walks with her family and spent many enjoyable summers on the Isle of Wight in Southern England. Susan emigrated to Canada with her family in 1974. Susan graduated from South Peace Secondary School in Dawson Creek and later attended Camosun College, SFU and UVIC. Susan had a passion for teaching and taught mostly Kindergarten/Grade 1 for many years in Dawson Creek. Most of her teaching career was spent at Crescent Park Elementary. She touched many students' lives with her gentle spirit and compassionate nature. Many students (now grown up) still remember her singing songs off her “Poet/Song Tree”, her beautifully decorated classroom and her amazing penmanship. The Poet (Song) Tree was a small, dead (but real) tree, painted white and covered in little white lights. Attached to each branch by a small paper clip, was a picture, drawn and coloured by Susan. Each picture represented a song or poem that Susan and her class would recite together every circle time. Each student had a day when it was their turn to pick a song or poem off the tree. Susan's mother, Anne even wrote a few of the poems herself! Susan also had a passion and talent for art. She loved to draw, paint, create custom jewelry from polymer clay and make custom holiday tags, which her family found so beautiful they kept the majority of each Christmas. Susan leaves behind a legacy that will be carried on in each of her students. 

Shortly after her mother, Anne, moved to Qualicum Beach, Susan followed to take better care of her in her ailing condition. In December of 2015, Susan met her partner, Ron. Ron was building a gazebo for Anne’s beautiful garden in Qualicum Beach and Anne told him he just had to meet her daughter! When they first met, Susan had cooked a beautiful meal for Ron and he told her how surprised he was that she was still single - which she always remembered him saying. In 2017, Ron came to Dawson Creek to help Susan fix up her house to sell. Susan retired from her teaching career, sold her house in Dawson and moved with Ron to Bowser, BC to be closer to her ailing Mum. 

It was in 2018 when Susan received her cancer diagnosis. Susan, along with Ron’s help, fought hard over the last 3 years but in the early morning of December 9th, Susan lost her battle with cancer. The loss of Susan came only 7 months after the loss of Anne, her Mum. As a family, we have lost a grandma, a mother, a sister, an aunty - our role models and our caregivers. Ron has lost the love of his life, the person that completed him, the person that gave him purpose. We have lost a kind and caring friend. May Susan’s love for all, live on in those she leaves behind. 

Susan is predeceased by her mother (Anne Cook), father (John Cook) and her grandmother (Mary Hooper). 

Susan is survived by her brother Graham (Ineke), sons, Jason Spencer (Colleen) and Mark Spencer (Alex), daughters, Kaitlyn Coombs (Tanner) and Sarah Haugen (Clayton), granddaughters, Naomi Spencer, Lenyn Coombs, Lyla Haugen and Hunter Haugen, grandsons, Nevin Spencer, Liam Coombs and Max Spencer, and niece, Rosalynd Cook. 

As Susan and her mother Anne both loved nature and wildlife, if anyone does wish to make a donation in memorium please visit https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/ and/or drop off much needed supplies or make donations payable to the South Peace BCSPCA, 11418 3rd Street, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4L5, Canada

A celebration of life for both Anne and Susan will be held at a later date when family and friends can safely gather outdoors in nature

Very Respectfully, Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium