Susan Ann Martinsen

Susan Ann Martinsen passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on May 21, 2023, in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

Born in Racine, WI on August 8, 1960, beloved daughter of Nancy Martinsen and the late James Martinsen; loving sister of Michael (Grace) Martinsen, Kristen (Jeff) Kjome, and the late Bradford Martinsen; cherished aunt of Michael (Amanda) Martinsen, Luke (Elyse) Martinsen, Gracie (Tom) Deschamps, Sam, Sarah, and Jack Kjome; dear great aunt of MJ and Lincoln Martinsen, Elle, Jane, and Andrew Martinsen, and Edward and Ava Deschamps; fond niece of Shirley Velska and Lois Lamb; and loving cousins and friends.

Susan’s early life was spent living in Racine, WI, Tokyo, Japan, and Boulder, CO. She and her family spent five wonderful years living in Tokyo where she attended the International School of the Sacred Heart, where many of her classmates from around the world became lifelong friends. These experiences influenced her love of travel, as well as her educational choices.

In 1981, Susan graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a double major in Asian Studies and Japanese Language. After graduation, Susan moved to Chicago, IL, the place she called home for nearly 30 years. She found her professional calling in sales and marketing at a major medical publishing company, building valuable friendships with colleagues while also earning many merit awards and incentive trips. Even after she moved from Chicago in 2011, Susan remained an avid fan of Chicago pro sports teams, especially her beloved Cubs, Bulls, and Bears.

In her last few years, she enjoyed spending time listening to audiobooks and music, as well as watching her favorite shows (Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy among them) and televised sporting events. She also took every opportunity to spend time outside on the deck soaking up her daily dose of Vitamin D when the Minnesota weather allowed. And as of this last year, Susan played Wordle daily, which kept her mind and memory sharp, often leaving us in awe with her results.

Family was the most important thing in Susan’s life. She held cherished roles as a granddaughter, daughter, niece, sister, aunt, great-aunt, and cousin. She kept these relationships strong with phone calls to catch up on the latest news, celebrate accomplishments, and remind everyone how much she loved them. There were no bounds to her love, and as she would move from one place to the next throughout her life, she remained in touch with many friends and family.

Despite living for more than 40 years with Multiple Sclerosis, Susan maintained a strong faith. She felt blessed to have lived with Kristen, Jeff and their children, for the last nine years. And her devoted and loyal care providers were among her greatest blessings and became like a second family.

Those who knew Susan would attest to the fact that she was always true to who she was. So many lives were influenced by her shining light. She became known and adored because of her positivity, charisma, and tiniest hint of sass. Her zest for life and infallible courage in the face of constant adversity lifted anyone and everyone who came in contact with her. After claiming victory over numerous health battles in her life, her first battle with pneumonia proved to be one that could not be overcome. Susan’s vibrance, love, and light transcends her physical departure, and we remain blessed forever to have caught a piece of it.

Visitation Wednesday, May 31, 2023, 5:00 p.m. until time of Funeral Service at 5:30 pm at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 7401 County Road 10, Maple Grove, MN 55311.

A recorded video of the service will be posted shortly after the event, www.lordoflife.org/celebrationoflife *please copy and paste the url or see below in the event's section of Susan's obituary page.

Visitation Thursday, June 1, 2023, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Donnellan Family Funeral Services, 10045 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, IL 60077.  In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in Susan’s name to a charity of your choice.