Susie Anschell, beloved mother of Andy, Ed, Bill and Jennifer, and grandmother of Nicole and Sam, died at 81 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

Susie was born in Furth, Germany and moved to England at age two, just before the Nazi regime shut down emigration. She lived briefly in Colombia before settling in New York at age ten. After graduating from high school as valedictorian she attended Radcliffe College in Boston, where she earned an AB in Economics cum laude. It was there that she met Cleve Anschell, her husband for 36 years until his sudden death in 1988.

In 1958 they moved to Mercer Island, building the home she lived in for the rest of her life. Cleve was deeply involved in leadership on the island, serving as mayor from 1966 to 1967, along with years of service on the school board, planning commission, city council, and other agencies. While raising her children, Susie was active with the League of Women Voters and various school-related fiscal and planning bodies. She gradually found her way into the workforce, first in the University of Washington’s Institute of Governmental Research, and later in the government’s General Accounting Office (GAO), where she was a researcher and analyst.

After retiring from the GAO in 1998, she devoted her life to her favorite pursuit: learning. That took many forms; chiefly reading, discussions, travel, and participation in TELOS, a program of informal classes for retirees. Her knowledge was encyclopedic, and was complemented by humility, humor and an unfailingly good nature. She was adored by her children, grandchildren, daughters-in-law and others fortunate enough to get to know her.

In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting that well-wishers donate to the Death With Dignity National Center (www.deathwithdignity.org), or to another charity of their choice.