Susan Usgaard

MORTON - Susan K. Usgaard, 59, of Morton, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on December 6, 2022, at the Richard L. Owens Hospice Home in Peoria.
She was born on April 7, 1963, in Muscatine, Iowa, to Ronald and Donna (Erdmann) Patton. She was married to Thomas Usgaard in Decorah, Iowa, on April 22, 1989. He survives.
Also surviving are her sons, Joseph Usgaard of Bloomington, Ill., and Raymond Usgaard of Marshalltown, Iowa; her mother Donna Patton of Marshalltown, Iowa; her siblings, Laurie Kramer of Grinnell, Iowa, Meredith (Dan) Dirks of Coralville, Iowa, Craig Patton of Marshalltown, Iowa; and numerous nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father.
Sue graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1981. She attended Iowa State University where she graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1985. After graduation, she was employed at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where she met her husband with the help of Tom’s father. In 1988 she moved to Peoria, Ill. to work in an environmental sampling lab. In 1991, she joined Caterpillar as a safety and environmental regulations specialist. She left Caterpillar in 2006 to raise her two sons. Since 2015, she has been employed at Golds Gym and Touch of Bronze in Morton, Ill.
Sue enjoyed volunteering at many different organizations, including OSF newborn nursery, Community Harvest food pantry, Morton Chamber of Commerce, and Midwest Food Bank of Peoria, Ill. She led an active life, including camping in the Boundary Waters, walking trails with friends, running, lifting weights, and taking aerobic classes.
Sue attended Grace Church in Morton.
As per Sue’s wishes, her body has been donated to science to aid in the training of medical students.
Sue loved to watch hummingbirds. She loved their grace, their beauty, their delicateness. Her soul is now free to join them, to fly with them, to soar with them. Goodbye Sue, you will be greatly missed.
A Memorial Service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at Grace Church in Morton, with Pastor Steve Kellerstrass officiating. Visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, December 19 and from 9 to 9:45 a.m. prior to the service on Tuesday, both at Grace Church, Morton.
Memorials may be made to Illinois Cancer Care or OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Home.
Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.knappjohnson.com.