Susan "Sue" Wright

Though small of stature, Susan Alice Bailey Wright, who died from complications related to pneumonia on August 9, 2011, loomed large in the lives of those who knew her. For many years Sue was “the boss” at Stagecoach Remodeling and a supporter of the arts in Idaho Falls. She was among the first to organize the volunteers at the Colonial and loved attending all kinds of community events, but that was only in addition to her several successful careers; working for business and government in Washington, DC, at the site as a Computer Information Systems Analyst, and as a reliable local contractor. Raised by independent thinking and resourceful parents in Livingston, Montana. Sue always felt she had enjoyed a great childhood. Her mother was a beloved public school nurse visiting remote mining towns and tiny ranch villages to distribute health care. Sue’s father was a graduate of the prestigious Citadel, a member of the physics faculty at Lehigh University, and a PhD candidate in physics at New York University. He met and married Helen Hesslein in New York City. They soon quit the city, science and academia, and moved to Montana to pursue his other love, fly-fishing. There he founded “Dan Bailey’s Fly Shop,” one of the very first successful fly-fishing and fishing guide businesses, which Sue’s brother John continues to this very day. Because of her father’s renown as a naturalist and her mother’s talent at hospitality, their rural ranch each summer became a favorite destination for people from all walks of life; respected eastern intellectuals, a much-loved lesbian couple and wealthy businessmen from all over spent summer evenings conversing after dinner on the Bailey’s “living-room” porch. Sue often credited her “free spirit and practical critical thinking skills” to her early life amidst such diverse individuals and their varied political and social perspectives. Sue believed her unique take on life was a result of having grown up a witness to her parents’ intellectual curiosities. She also remembered the warmth of the Livingston community, her love for mountainous topography, the Yellowstone River and their rural neighbors and friends, even as she reminisced struggling with the deprivations of wintertime in remote Montana. When it came time for college her New York mother and her Southern gentleman scientist turned businessman-naturalist father agreed that their attractive and bright young daughter should attend a school where she could be exposed to the world beyond Montana. Sue was never quite sure how they chose the private Liberal Arts Colorado College in Colorado Springs but off she went to major in mathematics. From college she headed to Washington DC soon to be employed as a civil servant. There she met and married Buddy Wright a charming and charismatic African American man and the love of her life. Though their love was welcomed and fully accepted by her family, Sue was frustrated and angered in the face of the frequent racist prejudices directed at their mixed marriage. She nursed Buddy though a ten-year long struggle with Hodgkin’s disease and the trauma of early chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Following his death Sue returned to her cherished home in the west and settled in Idaho Falls. Here she could be close enough to be available to her brother and their aging parents and here she began a career at INL where she remained until early retirement. Her life-long fascination with the renovation of historic homes had been piqued in Washington DC and it was renewed when she met Jack Harris a skilled local carpenter whom she hired to renovate her handsome North Ridge Victorian. The result was a business partnership, known after the subsequent purchase of her classic lava rock home “The Stage Coach Stop” as “Stagecoach Remodeling.” Later Sue’s chronic back pain required surgery followed by a lengthy recovery. As had always been the case, her faithful friend and housekeeper Dottie Garza was there for her. Along the way Sue developed strong ties in Idaho Falls with people from all walks of life and soon found herself playing an important role helping to organize support for the musical, and visual and performing arts in this city. Members of the African American community, the Idaho Falls Arts Council, local musicians and artists, PFLAG and Breaking Boundaries all found her among their strongest allies. She was also keen on encouraging quality education, particularly the training of people in the trades and skilled professions. After Jack her business partner’s, death Sue briefly ran the business alone until in 2004 after a successful and enjoyable series of sub-contracts with Haus Tile, she made owner DeWayne McCulloch a generous offer and sold him the business. Ultimately this revealed itself to be a positive move for everyone, as she remained as his office manager and DeWayne and Sue were able to develop a fine working relationship. Together they continued to nurture and grow the “Stagecoach” reputation for quality and reliability. DeWayne’s brother Mike remembers Sue as a kind but exacting “boss” who also knew how to keep the energy up and the work fun. Though her work with Stagecoach had decreased substantially over the past few years (particularly during her 2009 treatment and recovery from throat cancer) Sue remained a regular advisor and careful bookkeeper there until the last few months. As time went on Sue and DeWayne, his wife Jennifer, and DeWayne’s family grew from their original business only partnership into a very close kinship spending holidays and celebrating birthdays and other events together. As such a busy and well-known member of the Idaho Falls Community, Sue was known in a variety of circles. Adults in the community still remember having attended her yearly “Holiday Cookie Parties” where they as children were encouraged to choose from literally hundreds of homemade gingerbread cookies that they could frost and decorate with fanciful candies! Every year she removed her antique furniture and covered her wide plank pine floors with plastic to accommodate their creativity. Sue’s house, lovely back yard and garden have often been the venue of choice for weddings, parties and other events. She was incredibly generous, offering to share the ambiance of her unique historic home with others, welcoming children to play with her huge dollhouse and vintage dolls, the toy furniture she inherited from her own New York Grandmother and her silly puppet collection. In the winter her immense fieldstone fireplaces welcomed visitors with fires crackling behind screens masterfully designed and fashioned by Marilyn Hansen one of Sues favorite artists. Indeed, her most-treasured piece of art was probably Hansen’s “Eve,” the nude that dominates the center of her serene backyard garden. Among the many groups and individuals that benefitted from Sue’s creative energy were the Unitarian Universalist church, her Catholic Church neighbor Holy Rosary, and other civic organizations. Tiny Sue, often sporting a fringed leather jacket, brightly colored outfits, some turquoise and fancy cowgirl boots was a character recognized and welcomed throughout the city. She was deeply loved and will be truly mourned and missed. Her family and friends are invited to gather on Sunday evening August 28 from 5-7PM at her home to celebrate her life at the “Memorial Party” she requested. No memorial service will be held. Questions or concerns may be addressed to Jennifer at 520-2012 or Lyn Cameron at 403-6582. Additional information from the Livingston Enterprise: Susan Bailey Wright, 69, died Aug. 9, 2011, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Family and friends are invited to gather Sunday, August 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at her home in Idaho Falls. This will be a celebration of her life and, at her request, no religious service will be held. For guidance on memorial donations, her Livingston family defers to her Idaho friends and colleagues. Here are their recommendations. For her long-term, consistent patronage of the arts: The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho, 300 S. Capital Ave., Idaho Falls, ID, 83402, phone (208) 524-7777. For her diligent work to further the diversity of culture and ideas, tolerance public health and education: Breaking Boundaries, c/o Theron McGriff, 3922 Silverado Dr., Idaho Falls, ID 83404. Please go to woodfuneralhome.com for more information about the party and about Sue's civic activities and rich life. and another article: Susan Bailey Wright, 69, older sister of Jobn Bailey, died of pneumonia on August 9, 2011, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She was born to Helen and Daniel Bailey in Livingston on March 25, 1942. Sue spent her early life on the family's ranch in the Paradise Valley. Her friend, Christie McDonald, then of New York City, visited her each summer from 1948 until 1958. Christie remembers Sue's stories of cold and snowy winters, when Dan left his vehicle on East River Road and hauled Sue down and up on a sled to get her from home to school and back. Christie also remembers that she, the Eastern sophisticate, came to Montana to ride horses and eat burgers, while Sue preferred to read books and eat snakes (or other exotic foods). Sue attended Park High School, graduating in 1960. Her classmate, Gretchen Lueck Downer reports that getting an "A" in math classes become easier after moving on to college, because she no longer had to compete with Sue Bailey or David Stein. She studied at Colorado College. Dan and Helen delivered their freshman daughter in a Dan Bailey's Fly Shop van with insects painted on the sides. People (other parents) asked Dan whether he was an exterminator. In spite of that, Sue did well and graduated in 1964. From that time on, Sue's life revolved around four themes - ever more powerful computers, renovation of old houses, cookies and elegant dollhouses. After college, Sue moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a mathematician, first for the Army Map Service and later for Woodward & Lothrop, a department store. During that time, she bought an old house and began to gentrify it. She married Buddy Wright, a business colleague who was also interested in big computers. His seven children were probably the first recipe testers and decorators for her holiday cookie parties. Sue nursed Buddy through a 10-year struggle with Hodgkin's disease, until he died in 1980. Sue moved to Idaho Falls in 1981 to be close to her home and family. Unfortunately, both of her parents died in 1982. But she stayed - she found powerful computers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, and she went to work for EG&G, a federal contractor. She worked for the Idaho National Lab until her retirement in 1997. In the meantime, Sue bought an historic house, known locally as the "Stage Coach Stop," in 1994. That "stage coach stop" business turned out to be a legend, but Sue still had a nice stone house. She hired Jack Harris, a construction contractor, to do some work on her house. Later, Sue and Jack formed a partnership called "Stage Coach Remodeling" to pursue renovation projects for others. When Jack became ill, Sue sold the company to DeWayne McCulloch of Haus Tile. DeWayne kept Sue on as office manager. Sue hosted holiday "cookie parties" every year in late fall. She covered her floors with plastic and invited people to decorate hundreds of gingerbread cookies. This function became so large that it moved to a church. Sue's friends, especially Karen Stein, remember the dollhouse Sue inherited from her grandmother, an outrageously large dollhouse, in need of some work and a lot of refurbishing. She did it beautifully and those who have seen it have been moved. Sue is survived only by her brother, John Bailey, and his wife, Janet Glaeser Bailey. Family and friends are invited to gather at Sue's home on Sunday, August 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Memorial Services -- Sunday

Sunday August 28, 2011 , 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at Sue's Home

Questions may be addressed to Jennifer McCulloch at 520-2012 or Lyn Cameron at 403-6582