Susan Cropsey Thompson

Susan C. Thompson passed away peacefully on September 18, 2024, in New York City. Her final days were spent in The Mount Sinai Hospital, with a view of Central Park, one of her favorite places, surrounded by her three daughters.

Susan was born on January 9, 1949, in Pasadena, California, during what would go on to be the largest snowstorm in the city’s history. She was raised in Pasadena by her mother Ursuline Cropsey and her father William Denison Cropsey, Battalion Chief of the Pasadena Fire Department, alongside two sisters and a brother. Susan was a quiet and sensitive child, interested in writing stories, learning about history, and cooking. She treasured memories of her childhood trips across the country – on those trips with her family, she visited every state in the U.S., except Hawaii – which she did later visit as an adult. She graduated from Blair High School in Pasadena, where she was a song girl and cheerleader. Afterwards, she went on to study psychology and graduated from Pitzer College, where she met Alan Thompson in 1967; the two were married in 1974.

She received her teaching credentials from Pacific Oaks in Pasadena and taught children with special needs for several years. Susan had an innate ability to connect with children as she was very creative and had a huge imagination.

Together Susan and Alan traveled the world during their marriage – they visited Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, England, India, Nepal, France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Tahiti, and lived in Singapore, California, Connecticut, Arizona, New York City, and Bermuda. In Bermuda, Susan particularly loved her time working for the Bermuda International Film Festival and caring for her four beloved Golden Retrievers: Miranda, Clementine, Shakespeare, and Lord Nelson, affectionately called Big Boy by Susan and the family.

Susan and Alan raised three daughters across the US– Sarah Thompson Kane, born 1979 in California, Elizabeth Grace Kirkpatrick, born 1989 in California, and Anne Ross Thompson, born 1991 in Arizona. The family took several cross-country roadtrips together, like the ones Susan enjoyed in her youth.

Sarah and her husband Brad gave her two grandchildren who she adored: Lillian, born 2014 and Elias, born 2017. Until she became ill earlier this year, Susan, tenderly known to the children as Gigi, was their only babysitter and she saw them nearly every day of their lives. She had a deep bond with both of them and loved spending time with them. One of their favorite activities was baking together; Lillian and Elias particularly loved Gigi’s chocolate chip cookies and meringues. They also loved Gigi’s bedtime stories, and she would write a new one for them every time she put them to bed.

Susan was extremely close with her three daughters and very proud of her relationship with each of them. After living in Los Angeles for several years, Susan and Sarah both moved to New York City in 2021, joining Lizzie and Annie on the East Coast – for the last few years, Susan, Sarah, Lizzie and Annie all lived walking distance from one another. The four (and often the grandchildren too) would frequently eat dinner together, have picnics in the park, take day trips from the city, and visit galleries and museums together.

Susan was a whimsical and soulful person. She was kind and always ready to make a friend in any situation – she loved to talk and tell stories. She spent time writing poems and short stories for much of her life. She was learning about meditation and was very curious about the universe and our role in it. She believed in magic and had a real sense of wonder. She was generous and warm; she helped many people, often strangers, during her lifetime. Susan was hilarious with a great (and often dark) sense of humor – even in her final weeks, she was still making her daughters and the nurses laugh. She was extremely festive and made the holidays special – those who visited her and Alan’s homes during the holidays might remember their extensive Christmas village, table of party animals, elaborate Halloween displays, and incredible celebrations. She was a wonderful cook, and her children look forward to attempting to replicate some of her most beloved recipes. She loved life wildly and wholeheartedly – she loved poetry, history, nature, seashells, wild horses, farmer’s markets, films, Motown music, Elton John, spicy food, and, above all else, her family.

Susan is survived by her former husband, Alan Thompson; her daughter Sarah Kane and her husband Brad Kane, and their children Lillian and Elias; her daughter Elizabeth Kirkpatrick and her husband Dustin Kirkpatrick; her daughter Anne Thompson. She is deeply loved and will be missed every day.

In accordance with her spiritual beliefs, her daughters laid her to rest in the natural burial grounds at the Rhinebeck Cemetery in New York on September 21, 2024. She rests in the shade of three trees, her girls watching over her.