The passing of a legend: Susan Wirth

[Jon Szanto]

Friends,

It is with sadness that I bring the news of the sudden passing of one of the fountain pen world's most vibrant spirits, Susan Wirth. There are not many details to share and it is all very unexpected. I will post any further news, especially when memorial arrangements are made but for now, just remember Susan's exuberance and may grace be upon her.

Respectfully,
Jon Szanto


http://i.imgur.com/MTNh0lC.jpg

[franzdimson]

Thanks Jon. Rest In Peace Susie..


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[Brilliant Bill]

Thanks, Jon. Makes me very sad. She was a great lady.

[conib]

Oh no ... 😢

[writingrav]

Shocked...and saddened. A great presence in our community has been lost.

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[KrazyIvan]

Condolences to the family.

[Brilliant Bill]

As I remember her. No one was a greater champion of fountain pens or of beautifully putting ink upon paper...

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Stationery/i-2vrNcNj/0/64e162a2/L/DSCF0214-L.jpg

[earthdawn]

So super sad.. I just saw her in Chicago.....

[jar]

The Queen is Dead.

[Frank]

WOW!

Such a shock!

:cry:

[eriquito]

A sad day, indeed. Susan will be both sorely missed and long remembered.

In 2012, Susan was featured as Geek of the Week at FPGeeks. For anyone wishing to spend an hour with Susan, her telephone interview is available at the FPGeeks' home page: https://fpgeeks.com

I just saw Susan at the Chicago Pen Show where she was her usual fountain pen ambassador self and in fine spirits. She was one of a kind.

[Jon Szanto]

In 2012, Susan was featured as Geek of the Week at FPGeeks. For anyone wishing to spend an hour with Susan, her telephone interview is available at the FPGeeks' home page: https://fpgeeks.com

Eric, thank you for the nice remembrance of Susan and for keeping that memory live with the interview.

[Lady Onogaro]

That's so sad. I just saw her at the Arkansas Show. We must have spent a half-hour talking about our favorite cats (with pictures, of course). As you may know, one of her cats was featured in a recent issue of Pen World. I had lost one of mine in the spring, and she was very consoling, telling me of her own positive experiences with strays.

[Hawk]

Sharon and I talked with her fr a little while at the Chicago show. A super lady that made me feel welcome in the fountain pen world.

[stub]

This is very sad news indeed and my condolences to people who were friendly with her and family members. I never had the pleasure of meeting her in person but just this past week had some email correspondence with her and answered her email last night only to wake up this morning to this terrible news. There was never any indication that she was ill so it seems her passing was quite sudden indeed.

Rest In Peace. I guess she will not have read my last message. But thank you Susan Wirth.

[stub]

https://youtu.be/unB-Tb5JfeQ

[stub]

https://youtu.be/abJkd0XAswU

[sharmon202]

Just such a loss, I will miss her so much at Dallas. She spent a lot of time with me helping learn how to pick out THE pen for me. Condolences to her family. Anyone know the guy that was her helper at shows, he is excellent, bought my first one from that booth from him when I was too shy to try to talk with her. I do not recall his name but would like to send a note to him as well. We will raise a glass to her in Dallas, gang!!

[Jon Szanto]

Anyone know the guy that was her helper at shows, he is excellent, bought my first one from that booth from him when I was too shy to try to talk with her. I do not recall his name but would like to send a note to him as well. We will raise a glass to her in Dallas, gang!!

That is John Martinson. PM me if you want a contact address.

[Jon Szanto]

More News:

(Things are still in flux, but here are today's developments)

There will be a family service for Susan Wirth in Milwaukee, tentatively planned for May 20. An obituary will be published this Sunday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

There are plans coming together for a memorial at the DC pen show in August this year. I believe John Martinson is going to have their usual setup but use it to collect memories of Susan. Also, Ana of The Well-Appointed Desk is seeking submissions of stories and photos to be gathered for a book to be presented. Contact info for this is in her tribute in the blog listed below.

The Well-Appointed Desk Remembers Susan Wirth (http://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2017/05/in-memory-of-susan-wirth/)

[fountainpenkid]

I am deeply saddened by this news. She was one of the first real-life people I connected with on pens, at the 2013 LI pen show. Her passion was inspiring, and her kind yet forceful way of teaching a young teenager like me about the intricacies of nib tuning or sac replacement was the light of my first pen show experience. What a loss.

[Wahl]

RIP

[Sailor Kenshin]

Amen. My condolences to Susan's friends and family.

[AZuniga]

I saw her last in LA this year. A serious loss for the Pen Community... my deepest condolences and a hug for John...

[penwash]

There are quite a few of in-memory-of Susan Wirth posts on Instagram such as from our own Jon Szanto, Lisa Vanness, Shawn Newton, Franklin-Cristoph, and more.

[ethernautrix]

I saw her last in LA this year. A serious loss for the Pen Community... my deepest condolences and a hug for John...

My first thoughts included John. How horrible for him and our weird little (albeit global!) pen community.

They attended one of the Pen Posses I called years ago--there was some miscommunication about what the Pen Posse was, but the folks at Flax (then in San Francisco) rallied 'round, and it was a lovely time. I saved their voicemails to me--Susan and John giggling helplessly about Xmas lights they'd hung on their hotel room near Fisherman's Wharf and infectiously silly chaos--but I've changed phones a few times, and I don't know what's happened to those saved voicemails. It's been years, and I can't check them from Poland (my U.S. phone here is just a little computer for Internet where there is wi-fi).

I feel for John and for us pen people.

The last time I saw them... it was a post-SF Pen Show dinner at Cha-Cha-Cha in San Mateo. ...Such sad news.

[FredRydr]

I'd always enjoyed time with her towards the end of shows, when she'd be looking at my table for pens to sell at her next show. Susan's display was always BIG, and when I attended my first pen show I was drawn to her display, where I bought my first vintage pen, a Morrison.

At that first encounter, when we finished our lengthy transaction, she called me back behind her tables and promised to give me something to take the ink off my fingers. She filled a container from a bucket of what turned out to be bulk Reduran! It's nice she shared secrets like that with newbies to the fold.

Fred

[Jon Szanto]

For completeness, I'm posting notice of Ms. Wirth's official obituary here (http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/jsonline/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=185384131). Thanks to BrilliantBill for posting separately.