Susan's Obituary

The following was published today, 12/10/2008, in both The Arizona Republic and the East Valley Tribune:

Susan Marie Mortensen Turley, 25, of Mesa passed away on December 5, 2008 after a courageous battle with cancer. Susan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Tempe, Arizona where she graduated from Corona del Sol High School. She participated in the Tempe Sister Cities exchange program and spent a summer in Skopje, Macedonia. She was an accomplished athlete who won honors competing in cross country and track, and was recognized as the school's student athlete of the year in 2001. She continued her academic and athletic career at the University of Arizona, where she competed in cross country and track while earning her Bachelor's degree in Family Studies and Human Development. She pursued a career in marketing at MediServe. Throughout her life, Susan actively sought opportunities for service, whether to those she knew closely or others she did not know. She was a champion of inclusion and reaching out to make others feel blessed and loved. She loved meeting new friends, and those who were close to her were continually amazed at the number of friends she had in numerous cities where she travelled. Susan touched the life of each person she met at home and around the world. She possessed a cheerful spirit and contagious smile, even in the midst of her recent illness. We will always remember her example and the impact of her kindness on our lives. She is survived by her husband Justin Turley, parents Bruce and Janet Mortensen, brothers Zach, Sam, Mike, and David, Norwegian brother Fredrik Oygard, Macedonian sister Biljana Tashevska, and grandparents Gale Mortensen, James Rein, and Norma Jean Rein. She was preceded in death by her sister Elizabeth J. Mortensen and her grandmother Nellie Bushman Mortensen. Services remembering her life and her faith will be held on Wednesday, December 10th at 11:00 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Tempe South Stake Center located at 1111 E. Knox Rd, Tempe, AZ. There will be a viewing at the same location on Tuesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, and again on Wednesday at 9:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, Susan asked that donations be directed to a foundation to be established in her name to assist cancer patients who cannot afford the treatment she was blessed to receive. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo branch to account number 2017305018.