Chris Seiberling '68 wrote in November 2022:

Dear Friends, It is with great sadness, but also great hope, that I have been tasked to inform all of you that our beloved Susan fell asleep in Jesus yesterday 11/1 about 6:00 p.m.

She had achieved the hoped-for milestones since we moved to Santa Cruz Aug. 2 and then San Diego Sept. 26: Beau's first steps and six glorious weeks with Heather and her family; granddaughter Madeline's (22) visit from Michigan, along with her dad, Andy; Melissa's delivery of a beautiful and healthy daughter, Mila Sue on Oct. 20, and enjoying Mila's 21 month-old sister Zofie Lou, celebrating Melissa's 35 birthday, two visits from Sue's younger brother Jim from Chicago, and also precious visits from several of you.

Of course we had hoped and prayed for a continuing miracle, beyond the 2 1/4 additional years the Lord gave Sue after the doctor's initial prognosis of six months. But for reasons known only to the Lord, it was not to be. Although free from any significant pain, in recent weeks Sue became quite weak and found breathing and swallowing challenging and ultimately exhausting. Completely bedridden for the last week, the cancer that had spread to her lungs, made it increasingly difficult for Sue to breathe--even at maximum oxygen without a ventilator--until it simply took too much effort for Sue to keep breathing. (Just as Dr. Sobol said it would.)

Sue's funeral will take place at Statesville SDA Church, 2429 E. Broad St. in Statesville, NC, at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13. Visitation with the family will begin at noon; a private burial service at the nearby church cemetery will follow the funeral service. Refreshments will be served when the family returns from the burial service. The funeral service itself will also be live-streamed on the Statesville Seventh-day Adventist Church's Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, Sue has requested that donations be sent to the Holbrook Indian School (where Sue volunteered for two months during her retirement), 2001 McLaws Rd., Holbrook, AZ 86025. On behalf of Sue, Pastor Ken, Heather, Melissa, Chris and Andy, want to thank all of you who have loved and befriended Sue over the years, and have lifted her up in your thoughts and prayers during her illness.

From the 2023 spring edition of the Oberlin Alumni Magazine:  “For more than 40 years, Susan Gottschalk Blake served as a health educator and elementary school teacher in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She and her husband, Jeff Blake, became a pastoral team, which led them to northern New England and then North Carolina. Blake home-schooled her four children and was an accomplished pianist and singer, studied German, and enjoyed gardening, from-scratch cooking, many outdoor activities, and volunteering in the community. Blake died October 31, 2022, leaving her husband, four children, a foster daughter, and four grandchildren.”

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/susan-blake-obituary?id=36971141