Susan Davis

Susan Ward Davis, 83, of Appleton, WI, passed away peacefully on June 28th, 2025, at Valley VNA Senior Care in Neenah, WI after a brief illness.

Susan was born April 10th, 1942 in Illion, NY, the daughter of Kenneth and Hazel (Dowell) Ward. She graduated in 1960 from Appleton High School as valedictorian, where she was also awarded the distinguished Craftsmanship Shield, the highest honor a graduating senior can receive.

 As a high school student, she spent an academic year studying abroad through AFS, living and attending school on the Faroe Islands, a remote territory of Denmark in the north Atlantic Ocean.

 After high school, she attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, earning a Bachelor's Degree in English. After graduation, she returned to Appleton and taught English at the same school she had graduated from, Appleton High School, until her daughter was born in 1970. 

 She was always interested in politics and was elected to the Appleton Common Council in 1981, serving as the first female Council President in 1985 before leaving her position on the Council in 1986. She worked at Office Technology in Neenah, WI from 1986 until 1992.

In 1992, Susan survived a near-fatal car crash while traveling in near Omaha, NE. She suffered devastating injuries; but, never someone to shy away from a challenge, worked relentlessly to regain the abilities she'd lost. The resiliency and determination she showed throughout the rest of her life was an inspiration to all who knew her.

 Susan spent most of her life volunteering for various non-profit organizations, but this commitment increased greatly after her accident. Some of the charities she enthusiastically gave time to included the Salvation Army, LEAVEN, and Kings' Daughters. In 2007 she was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award for her work at LEAVEN.

 Susan was married twice, from 1966 until 1986 to A.J. "Gus" Steffens, with whom she had two children, Allyson and Timothy, and from 1986 until 2004 to Richard D. Davis.

A life long fan of the Green Bay Packers, Susan attended her first Packer game with her father at City Stadium, and never wavered in her support of the green and gold. An avid reader, she was always reading a mystery of some kind and enjoyed listening to her "golden oldies" music channel. There were many animals by her side over the years, most recently the dogs at the VNA who adopted her and spent many happy days in her room.

 Remaining to cherish Susan’s memory are daughter Allyson (Steffens) Carter and son Timothy and his wife Jennifer (Behrens) Steffens, three grandchildren, Sydney Steffens, Taylor Steffens, and Augustus Carter, and grandson-in-law Solstice Yarbrough; brother Timothy Ward and wife Eileen; many nieces and nephews; as well as many the friends, both old and new, who meant so much to her throughout her life.

Special thanks to the staff at Valley VNA Senior Care and Heartland Hospice who providing the exceptional care that made the last chapter of Susan's life such a comforting and loving one.

 Preceding Susan in death are her parents, Kenneth Ward and Hazel Meade; stepfather Reginald Meade and step-mother Barbara Ward; brother Stephen Ward and step-brother John Laird. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025 at Wichmann Funeral Home, 537 N. Superior St. in Appleton from 2:00 until 5:00 PM, with all welcome to share sentiments about Susan at 1:30 PM. Interment will be Riverside Cemetery.