Samuel "Sam" Susuras
Obituaries
Daily Sentinal page 6A - December 15, 2021
Samuel Susuras
February 8, 1936 - December 7, 2021
Samuel was born to Nick
and Margaret Susuras in
Brush, Colorado.
At the age of five he was
baptized in the S Platte
River. He said a lightness
came over him at that time
which stayed with him for
the rest of his life.
The family moved to
Denver, and Sam left home
at the age of 13, to live on a
farm on the Eastern Plains.
He was on his own after
that. He attended a country
school, and by high school
he was hiring out during
harvest and making tuition
for a private school in
Colorado Springs.
After graduation, Sam enlisted in the Marines. During
his tenure, he volunteered to go to Ft. Desert Rock
Nevada where they were placed in trenches for tests
on the human body as the atomic bomb was detonated.
Sam graduated from what is now Oklahoma Wesleyan
University. In 2008 he was honored as Alumni of the
Year.
After college graduation, Sam married Marilyn
Peterson. Soon they had two daughters. Sam loved
being a father. His banking positions took them to many
cities in Colorado and other states. The family enjoyed
the new adventures exploring, hiking, fishing and often
hosted family gatherings for their extended families. As
the daughters had lives of their own, the older daughter
moved with the only grandson to Western Colorado.
Sam took a position in Delta managing two banks to
be near the family. As they were moving, Marilyn
died unexpectedly. Sam went ahead with the move and
enjoyed many good times with his grandson, Samuel.
Several years later, Sam met and married Lois Dunn.
They traveled and enjoyed shared interests for 18 years.
Early in his career, Sam attended CU, earning a
Masters Degree in Banking. This led to many bank
president positions including United Banks and Central
Banks. Upon retiring from banking, he was appointed
a regional director by the governor to the Office of
Economic Development and International Trade.
From this retirement, he was appointed to serve on
Grand Junction City Council, then ran for one more
term, serving one year as mayor. He always enjoyed
serving on boards and organizations. His most recent
positions were Grand Junction Planning Commission,
21st Judicial Selection Committee, Parks & Recreation,
and Board Member and past chairman of Colorado
Water Congress. He was a member of Life Community
Church, Grand Junction Rotary and a CASA Volunteer.
He is survived by his wife, Lois Dunn; daughters,
Carla (Dennis) Johnson, and Janis (Steve) Kardatzke;
grandson, Samuel; step-daughters, Kimberly Lashbrook
and Tamara Lashbrook; brothers, Nick (Paula) Susuras
and Dean (Janice) Susuras, many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to
HopeWest, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand Junction CO
81506 or Life Community Church, 2140 Broadway,
Grand Junction CO 81507.
Services will be December 17, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., at
