Theodore Roosevelt High School Class of 1959 - Latest News

Susan Anderson Briggs, 76 of Winona, died Thursday, January 4, 2018 at her home with family and friends.

Susan was born on Staten Island, New York, to Joseph Donald and Helen (Humphrey) Anderson on August 1, 1941.  Shew grew up in Des Moines, Iowa where she graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1959.  Susan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communicative Disorders in 1963 from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.  She worked as a Speech Pathologist in Connecticut and New York City before returning to Iowa where she earned her Masters of Science degree in 1966 in Speech Pathology at the University of Iowa.  It was there that she met her husband, Robert Briggs while he was attending Dental School.  They were married on October 7, 1967.

While Bob served in the dental corps of the Air Force from 1968 to 1970 in Minot, North Dakota, Susan taught speech pathology courses both at the graduate and undergraduate level at Minot State College.  They then moved to Winona, MN in June of 1970 and have lived there ever since.  Susan continued to hold various positions in speech pathology including teaching courses at St. Teresa’s College, working part time at Community Memorial Hospital before accepting a full time position at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin from 1980 until 1996 where she worked primarily with stroke and head injured patients and did out reach work to Community Memorial Hospital two days a week for Gundersen Lutheran.

Susan was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, the Winona Women’s Art Class, Winona Preservation Commission, Chapter AP PEO, Ruskin Study Club, Winona Historical Society, Winona Art Center, and the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.  During her retirement she enjoyed being with her grandchildren, book club and bridge buddies, traveling, water color painting, raising dogs and gardening at the farm in Cedar Valley which she and Bob bought in 1978 and which her son, Steve now manages since his father’s death in 2009.

Susan was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, her father, Joseph Donald Anderson, her mother, Helen Anderson Pierce.  She is survived by her son, Stephen (Jenel) Briggs, grandsons, Carter and Rory Briggs all of Winona, and her brother Joseph Anderson (Cindy) of Huntington Beach, CA and their daughters, Kristin (Karl) and Sarah and many cousins and loyal and loving friends.

Visitation will be 4 to7 p.m. Friday, January 26, 2018 at Wesley United Methodist Church, Winona.  Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, January 27, 2018 at Wesley United Methodist Church, Winona, with Rev. Robert Hicks officiating.  Interment will be at Cedar Valley Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to:  Winona County Historical Society, 160 Johnson St., Winona, MN; Misato Sister City, c/o WIFA, 207 Lafayette St., Winona, MN; Winona Symphony Orchestra, P.O. Box 1197, Winona, MN; or Wesley United Methodist Church, 114 Broadway St. West, Winona, MN.

Services entrusted to Fawcett Junker Funeral Home and Crematory, Winona, MN and Fountain City, WI.   Words of sympathy or remembrance may be left at www.fawcett-junkerfuneralhome.com.