Susan Thatcher

Susan was raised in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin as a tom boy extraordinaire, playing ditch and kick the can with fifty other neighborhood children. Immediately after graduation, Susan married Ray Thatcher and their first of five children was born in 1959. Their started family moved to Tucson in 1960. It was all of Arizona's dramatic and beautiful scenery that awakened the artist in Susan. The next move was to Ft. Huachuca and eventually Bowie. There Susan took art lessons and became active with the Wilcox Art Association.

Ralph Schaefer, an art teacher for Ft. Grant boys' prison, became Susan's mentor and critic. Ralph's motto was to "accept constructive criticism and continue to learn or quit right now." With his wisdom of light, shadow, values, perspective and composition so freely shared, Susan's artistic results dramatically improved.
While in Bowie, the Thatcher family, now with three children, got into horses, cattle, chickens, dogs and cats. The ranch house was 17 miles into the mountains south of Bowie near Immigrant Canyon where cooking with sour dough was a daily routine. Susan also trained a filly colt each day. Old ranchers didn't approve of her techniques teasing that "Susan was stealing a ride", despite their disapproval the horse was gentle and anyone could steal a ride.

Everyday living on the ranch, Susan discovered more things and became very active in the Bowie community. She drove a school bus, sewed outfits for the cheerleaders and did alterations for the locals.

Later the family went into the restaurant business until child number four was due to be born. A move from Bowie to Sierra Vista was planned. Ray Thatcher became a deputy sheriff and Susan became a real estate agent and eventually a broker. Her fifth child was born a year and a half later. Her real estate business thrived and her art work for the most part was put on hold. Susan often says, "Life is what happens in the middle of your plans."

Susan has retired now and has grandchildren and great grandchildren in Alaska and Apache Junction, Arizona. Susan has not become idle though, she now has time for her art, travel and lots of planned play.

Susan's art work is just that, works of art! Two of her most exciting and rewarding achievements were winning first place at an art show with her full size ocean watercolor and most recently another first, for her watercolor of "Liz's Flower Garden". She earned a Santa Cruz County Fair ribbon for her oil painting, “Sonoita Horse Race”, where a judge proclaimed “Energy, energy, energy!” about the same painting.

Susan is a member and past president of the Huachuca Art Association where many members have also influenced her artwork over the years including; Eva Arenas, Carol Reilly, Raleigh Kenny, and Angus Brown Wilson.

Cooking and feeding her family and friends is another great passion of Susan’s. If you think she is good in the kitchen, you should see her cook over a campfire! Susan currently lives in Brown Canyon off Ramsey Canyon, in her home known as Discovery Ranch, a place to rediscover life, where special people rent rooms and share the kitchen. Friends and guests love the oaks, mountain views, and especially the wildlife.

Susan says her next adventure is to write a book, she already has the title, “The Survivors of Susan Thatcher”. You really have to know her to appreciate the title. She says life is good and truly believes a stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet.