Susan Lee Kirchhoff's Obituary
Remembering Susan Lee Kirchhoff
Susan Kirchhoff was born to the sound of waves on Midway Island on April 16th, 1948. From this unusual beginning, she continued her journeys throughout her life. She explored other countries and cultures on her travels and through books; worked for and with people from different backgrounds as a librarian and teacher of English as a foreign/second language; and studied many different spiritual traditions and practices.
Susan travelled to many different places around the world for a variety of reasons. She often planned trips with family members, including family reunions on the Outer Islands in North Carolina, Chicago, Seattle, and Switzerland. She made pilgrimages to Bali, South Africa, and Ecuador with the Sofia Foundation. As part of her interest in alternative medicine, she studied medicinal herbs with a local expert and participated in her herbal tour to Tuscany, Italy.
Susan’s strong interest in learning and other cultures was also demonstrated by her choice of careers. She had an M.A. in English as a Second Language and an M.L.S. in Library Science, both from the University of Hawaii. She taught English at Kuwait University for two years, and in the U.S., she taught ESL to a variety of students, businesspeople, and immigrants. She worked as a research librarian at several different academic and public libraries, most recently at American River College and Sierra College.
She passed away in northern California on October 12, 2025. She is survived by her sisters and brothers-in-law.
Donations can be made to her workplaces or to the Sofia Foundation.
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