SUSAN JEAN WANBAUGH

SOUTH PORTLAND – Courage, thy name is Susan. Susan Jean Wanbaugh, a Maine native and lifelong resident of our state, died here Feb. 13, 2004, at the home she had lovingly restored room-by-room. Susan was just 46. For years she bravely battled severe bouts of cancer, her courage and strength of character in the face of great adversity impressing all who knew her, including the huge number of doctors, nurses and medically-related professionals who came to her aid with great support and caring. Ms. Wanbaugh, a 1975 graduate of Presque Isle High School, where she received honors and high honors, pursued further education at Bates College, Lewiston, where she was a Dean’s list student and named a Dana Scholar. She spent her junior year in London, where she studied speech and theater with some of England’s finest performers, directors and producers, one becoming a personal friend. She spent time in Scotland, Denmark, and Paris, with school friends that year too. During her late high school and early college years, Susan also represented the City of Presque Isle, and later the Maine Potato Council as a pageant winner, and finally, as Miss Maine in Atlantic City’s Miss America Pageant in 1976. She followed up her BS degree from Bates with intensive summer studies at Boston University in Marketing and Communications. Susan’s greatest loves and accomplishments, in addition to singing, dancing and acting (from grade-school plays to summer stock in Berwick, Maine, to community theater in Camden), were making everything appealing and beautiful with her wonderfully creative mind and her gifted hands. She could draw, paint, sculpt, sew, design, decorate, prepare gourmet meals and more. She even made her own gift-paper, cards and beautiful presents, many of which will be especially treasured now by her friends. Her home was a wonderfully warm, welcoming place. Over her lifetime, Ms. Wanbaugh served as marketing director for the Maine Publicity Bureau, and then marketing director for the Maine Mall, where she received praise and high acclaim. She received the coveted Brody Award for excellence in advertising during her career, which also included advertising director for the DeOrsey’s chain of electronics and music stores, and her final position with a small Portland firm with a nationwide client base of hospitals and home-health agencies as publishing coordinator. Susan is survived by her mother, Carol J. Wanbaugh of Portland, who will always miss her dearly; and by her loving and devoted stepfather, John J. Corsa, also of Portland. Also surviving are her very special friends, Glenwood MacDougal of Glenburn, and Linda and Mike Eastman of South Portland; and all her other dear neighborhood pals and family friends. At Susan’s request there will be no funeral or burial service. An informal celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Ms. Wanbaugh is donating most of her wardrobe to the “Well Suited” program, 565 Congress St., Portland, ME, 04106, 780-1686. She thought a great deal of this organization and its mission, giving a hand up to women trying to improve themselves and their lives. She hoped other women might do the same and wanted you to know that donated clothing and accessories should be in style, clean and suitable for office wear. Susan also wanted to let everyone to know that “Well Suited” will accept cash donations. Arrangements were made by the Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Road, South Portland.