Susan Kay Towne

Susan K. Towne, age 65, of rural Reedsburg, passed away peacefully after a heroic battle with cancer on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at home surrounded by family. She was born on April 9, 1958, in Waterloo, Iowa, the daughter of Robert and Lois (Neubauer) Schoger.

Sue was a graduate of Waterloo High School and Iowa State University. She was employed as a Special Education and Kindergarten teacher for over 40 years at the School District of Reedsburg (Pineview and Westside Elementary), and Edgemont Elementary in South Dakota. On June 20, 1992, Susan was united in marriage to Steven R. Towne. In 2001, Sue and Steve moved to Custer, SD where they made their home on a ranch in the Black Hills. In 2019, Susan and Steve moved back to rural Reedsburg where they continued to enjoy their animals, family and all that country living offers.

Sue was an accomplished horse trainer in natural horsemanship principles, achieving the highest Level 4 designation. She used these skills to educate and help many people from foundational to advanced horsemanship skills. She has been a longtime member of the International Horsemanship Association and a well-known horse advocate.

Susan is survived by her husband, Steve; son, Sheldon Garrison of Milwaukee; grandson, Grant Garrison; sister Sandy (Truman “TK”) Flaaten of Sussex, WI; sister Nancy (Rick) San Juan of Iowa; nieces and nephews, Adam (Laura) Flaaten, Seth Flaaten and Molly (Guy) Webster. She was preceded in death by her parents; and brother, Steve (Jodi) Schoger.

Visitation will be held at Farber Funeral Home in Reedsburg, WI on Monday, July 24, 2023, from 2:00 pm until the time of the memorial service celebrating the life of Susan K. Towne at 4:00 pm. Pastor Beth Voigt will be the officiant.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be directed in her name towards a memorial tree (Black Hills National Forest), blood donation to help other leukemia patients, or to the Leukemia Research Foundation to advance Acute Myeloid Leukemia research. The family would like to express their profound gratitude to the health care teams that worked tirelessly throughout her cancer journey.

The family would prefer memorials given to one of the following funds listed below or you can also click on one of the memorial fund video links for direct access.

Memorial tree link: https://plantatree.fs.usda.gov

Blood donation: https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html

Leukemia Research Foundation: https://leukemiarf.org

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