Susan Yoast

Susan Lynn Yoast (née Zander) left this material plane suddenly but peacefully at her home in Albany, California on July 20, 2022. She was 70 years old. Sue was born November 10, 1951 in Fresno, California on her parents’ (Erv and Deanie Zander’s) sixth wedding anniversary. She grew up in the simpler Leave it to Beaver world of the 1950’s and early 60’s with her older brother, Michael, younger sister, Leslie, numerous cousins and extended family. Barbecues, family get- togethers, swimming all summer, vacations in the mountains and at the coast were highlights of those early years. She was a diligent and popular student at Ernie Pyle Elementary School, Fort Miller Jr. High and McLane High where she graduated in 1969.

The late 60’s were a time of social upheaval and transition, and Sue was not immune to their effects. She rebelled a little against the morés of her parents, ran away with a boyfriend on a motorcycle and moved to Santa Barbara to attend college at UCSB. There she met her first husband, Tom Eklof, and moved to Santa Cruz. Together they thrived, pursued their active interest in Transcendental Meditation, built a house, created careers (she had impeccable taste and went into business as a personal shopper) and lived the good life … until they didn’t. After the divorce, Sue moved back to Santa Barbara where she used her eye for style to advise clients, friends and relatives on exactly the right item for their wardrobe or personal image. Her considerable people skills and engaging personality secured many long-term friendships, landed her a job selling high end jewelry and set her up for a fateful encounter with a former policeman and local businessman named Ray Yoast. A single father of three grown (one still in high school) girls, Ray, at 6’4”, ruggedly handsome and rock solid, was a character out of central casting who stole Sue’s heart. They were married on May 17, 1986.

Sue became a loving stepmother to the three girls; she and Ray found a wonderful home with a view in Montecito and settled in. Ray ran his businesses (All Coast Truck and Tractor, All Coast Tires and Husbands for Hire) when he wasn’t playing volleyball on the beach. Sue designed jewelry and sold diamond necklaces and emerald earrings at the Biltmore while maintaining the household and eventually becoming pregnant. Their daughter, Summer Rae was born on July 6, 1993.

They led a life full of work, family, social activities and travel. But their life was upended when Ray died unexpectedly of a heart attack on January 22, 2001. With help from family, especially her stepdaughters, Sue soldiered on, tying up loose ends at Ray’s businesses, managing Husbands for Hire and raising her young daughter Summer. She eventually sold the Montecito house and moved to a lovely rental home in Carpinteria, where she was closer to a small town community with shops and restaurants and could more easily maintain her extensive social network. Summer joined her intermittently while attending UCSB and California State University, Fullerton. They lived in Carpinteria together until June of 2018 when Summer married Zachary Guillaume and moved to Colorado to pursue her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision.

Sue was diagnosed with the rare autoimmune disease scleroderma in 2008. In spite of its progressive effects on her body and quality of life, Sue’s attitude was upbeat and optimistic, she loved wholeheartedly, and lived passionately. She received treatment at the UCLA Medical Center, and chose to participate in numerous studies aimed at furthering knowledge of effects and treatments of the disease. Some of these treatments slowed progress of the disease and allowed her to lead a more or less normal life, always rich with friends and family. With Summer married and out of the house, Sue decided to leave Carpinteria in 2019 and move to Albany in the SF Bay area to be closer to family. She moved into a house around the block from her sister Leslie and had a job in a clothing store on the first day. She never fully adapted to the fog and cold of the Bay Area but kept her spunky attitude in spite of the often dreary weather, COVID lockdown, and the progress of her disease. Sue’s passion for life never diminished. After three years in northern California, she was on the verge of making the move to Summer and Zachary, and settling into the next chapter exploring Colorado. In the meantime, she and her sister were scheduled for a pedicure and she was making plans for a spa treatment and a follow up lunch with her brother on the day she died.

In the words of Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Sue made us all feel special and we miss her dearly. She is survived and deeply missed by her daughter Summer, step daughters Deirdre, Sienna, and Claudia, son-in-law Zachary, brother Michael, sister Leslie, sister-in-law Holly, niece and nephew Selene and Robin, niece-in-law Janet, grand-nephews Max and Sam, and countless extended family members and dear friends.