Suzie Wallis, whose generous spirit and love of nature touched generations of loving family and friends, died on October 28th, 2024 after a brief illness.

Suzanne Harriet White was born in Milton, MA on June 3rd, 1936. She attended Milton High School and earned a BA in physical therapy at Boston University. In Boston, she met an Englishman, Graham Wallis, who became the love of her life. The two shared a love of the outdoors and of outdoor activities, spending many hours hiking, skiing and camping, as well as swimming and sailing at Suzie’s family’s cottage in Winthrop Maine. Suzie worked for several hospitals in the Boston area during this time, while Graham studied for his master’s degree at MIT.

Suzie and Graham lived in Cambridge and Dorset, England while Graham completed his doctoral work. They returned to New England when Graham accepted a teaching position at Dartmouth College, eventually settling in Norwich, VT, where they raised their four children.

Suzie had a joyful, loving, kind and adventurous soul. She led family and friends on epic canoe trips in all kinds of weather. She volunteered for the Ford Sayre ski program and the Norwich Nativity Pageant, persuading Graham to narrate the Christmas story. Suzie loved children and welcomed nieces and family friends with equal enthusiasm. She gave her time to Parents Anonymous and other causes to support young people raised in challenging circumstances.

She found great beauty in the natural world and always had binoculars nearby to train on a lively bird or a darting creature. Suzie raised many animals, first it was cats and dogs, then a donkey, and eventually she founded Black Sheep and Zucchini farm, specializing in Jacob Sheep (whose descendants can be seen at Hogwash Farm in Norwich), and training border collies, who were beloved family dogs. She was a fixture at the Norwich Farmers Market where she sold sheep fleeces and beautiful spun wool that had been worked in the company of her spinning group. Often, she stayed up late, hand-dying the wool, the night before the market.

When her children were small, Suzie’s meals might include bologna sandwiches, popsicles and an occasional TV dinner. However, she grew to be a gourmet cook and the kitchen was often full of the scent of baking bread, apple or rhubarb pies or some French experiment as she expanded her culinary powers. She and Graham made maple syrup together and it was a spring ritual for the family to gather the sap from metal buckets.

Suzie’s favorite place was her great grandparents’ cottage, named “GoodEnough”, on Lake Cobbosseecontee in Maine. She enjoyed her extended family of Welches and Whites and the cottage was a touchstone in the entire arc of her life. There, she was in her element, nurturing to family and guests, sharing her love of a place that was far more than just “good enough” to her.

Suzie is remembered with great love by her husband Graham Wallis as well as her children and grandchildren, Iain Wallis (Paige and Bryce), Tasha Wallis and Kevin Goddard (Jeremy R. Wallis), Peter and Patti Wallis (Galen, Sadie and Jemma), and Jeremy and Shannon Wallis (Avery and Amelia). In lieu of flowers, hug your family or donate to a caring cause. A memorial service will be held in the spring or summer when Graham’s flower gardens will be in full bloom, as he always picked vases and vases of homegrown flowers to surround Suzie.

 

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