Susannah Marciana Kelley, 48

Susannah Marciana Kelley, 48, passed away after an extended illness Friday, June 27, 2008. Susannah, who kept her maiden name as her married name, was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, on Friday, Nov. 13, 1959.

She learned to walk and talk in Yakima, Wash. With her brothers and sisters, she attended elementary school in Whitefish, and St. Matthew's and junior high school in Kalispell.

After growing up and going to school in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Texas, California and Washington, D.C., she married Jim Garrett in 1987. They settled in Tehachapi, Calif., and later, with their children, in Bellingham, Wash. After spending two years in Nicaragua, they moved to Stockton, Calif., in 2005.

Susannah was preceded in death by her dad, James Edward Kelley; and two children who died in utero, Quentin Jes?s and Grace Mar'a.

She is survived by her husband, James Gregory "Jim" Garrett, and their four children, Hunter Riann, almost 18, Katherine "Trina" Lochen, 15, Claire Victoria, 12, and Devon Francis Chase Garrett, 9, all of Stockton; and by her mother, Sandra Andrews Lochen Kelley, of Concord, Calif., formerly of Whitefish and Kalispell.

Susannah also is survived by her four younger siblings, Colleen Elizabeth Kelley, M.D., and her husband, Antonino "Nino" Mendolia, of Bennington, Vt., Col. James "Jack" Andrews Kelley, and his wife, Carolyn "Carrie" Osterberg Kelley, of Park City, Utah, Rebecca "Becky" Jeanne Taalbi and her husband, Gustave "Gus" Taalbi, of Milwaukee, and Brian Edward Kelley, of Great Falls; nine nieces and nephews; maternal aunt, Sheila Wolfe, of San Antonio; and paternal aunt, Mary Ellen Kelley O'Dwyer, of Wayne, Pa.

Susannah was a dedicated Catholic Christian who homeschooled her children, giving them the best possible moral and academic foundation. After graduation from high school at St. Scholastica Academy in Ca-on City, Colo., Susannah began her university studies at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, completing her degree in international politics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She followed this with a master's degree in Latin American studies at Georgetown. She pursued her love of Latin America by traveling and living throughout Central and South America for a year, and working as a student intern in the U.S. embassies in Costa Rica and Venezuela. Susannah earned a Master's of Business Administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, and her teaching credential from University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Susannah's student teaching internship was in Tracy, Calif. She taught at Edison High School in Stockton; also, for seven years in Tehachapi Unified Schools, and most recently taught Spanish at Lincoln High School in Stockton.

In Nicaragua, Susannah sponsored the education of several students and had remained involved in the lives of at least seven families. With her husband, Jim, she co-facilitated the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) course at St. Luke's Parish in Stockton.

Susannah's life will be remembered at the family home with visitation and Irish wake from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 8. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 9, at St. Luke's Catholic Church in Stockton. Internment will be in Bayview Cemetery in Bellingham.

The family requests that friends hug their children, parents, spouses, siblings and loved ones in lieu of flowers. Memorial donations can be made to Hospice of San Joaquin, or to your local hospice.