[Editors] passing of Susan Curran

[Elizabeth A Thomson]

Dear Friends,

I am writing to this group as a whole because I think many of you knew Susan Curran, formerly of MIT Web Communications Services. Susan passed away yesterday at age 41 of cancer.

Here is the obituary:

CURRAN, SUSAN, 41, passed away on the morning of Sunday, January 6th at home after a battle with cancer. A native of Providence, Susan was the daughter of the late Dr. Robert Louis and the late Betty Brier Curran, and the loving and devoted wife of Matthew Wilson, also of Providence.

Growing up on the East Side, Susan attended the Wheeler School before finishing at Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts; she graduated from Boston University with a degree in English. After college, Susan honed her skills at a series of technology startups in the Boston area. Her career wove together her love of words with an interest in technology. She worked as a website editor for Oxford University (Oxford, UK) and Rhode Island School of Design. Susan brought her curiosity, wit, and wide-ranging interests to her work as editor for the MIT Homepage, a job she loved.

Susan and Matt met in 2000, and decided to live together in 2003 since they were already inseparable. They were the best of friends and shared every adventure, from kissing on the porch in Somerville to touring the capitals of Europe. A special highlight was visiting Lithuania, where her father’s father was born. 

In 2011, Susan and Matt returned to Providence to support her mom Betty through illness. They were married in a bedside hospital ceremony on August 27th of that year, with Betty (on her final day) in attendance. 

Susan was eternally curious about the world, and was passionate about sharing her interests with the people she loved. Concerts, travel, and good food were all just pretexts to spend time with good friends. Susan could always be counted upon for thoughtful yet candid advice. As the saying goes, she was someone who could lift you up and sit you down — always giving her full attention and an honest, measured response.

Susan is preceded in death by her mother and father. She is survived by her husband, Matthew; her aunt and uncle, Joyce and Warren Galkin of Warwick; and her cousins Cathy Gennert of Westport, CT and Mike Gennert of Rutland, MA.

Her funeral service will be held Tuesday, January 8th at 11 am at Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft St., Providence with burial in Lincoln Park Cemetery, Warwick. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Curran Family Cancer Research Fund, c/o Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215. Shiva will be observed at her home at the following times: 

Tuesday, January 8, from 2 – 4 pm and 6:30 – 9 pm; 
Wednesday, January 9, from 2 – 4 pm and 7 – 9 pm;
Thursday, January 10, from 2 – 4 pm and 7 – 9 pm;
Sunday, January 12, from 2 – 4 pm and 7 – 9 pm.

In addition, here is a Memoriam post written by one of Susan's best friends on her blog, Warped Reality.

http://www.warpedrealitymagazine.com/2013/01/in_memoriam_susan_curran.html

Most Sincerely,

Elizabeth
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Elizabeth A. Thomson
Associate Director of Communications
MIT Resource Development
Office of Communications
600 Memorial Dr., W98-300
617-258-5563, 857-756-9457
<thomson at mit.edu>, giving.mit.edu
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