Susan Elaine Marthaller passed away on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Tacoma, WA, peacefully in her sleep.

Susan was born on December 12, 1944, in Tacoma, WA, to Almer and Isabelle Nelson. She grew up in Tacoma and graduated from Stadium High School. She attended Bates Technical College after high school, where she studied art. She married Phillip Marthaller on November 12, 1966. Susan and Phillip had known each other since birth, as their families had been good friends.

Susan had a career working as an administrative assistant at Pan Pacific and Safeco before leaving her career to focus on raising her daughters. She later worked alongside Phillip in their insurance business before retiring.

Family was Susan's love. She cherished time with her extended family, her siblings, and many nieces and nephews, and she could always be found showering love on the newest additions to the family. She loved the large family get-togethers around the holidays and would decorate every inch of her house for Christmas. Baking was always a passion of Susan's, and she always poured love into every slice of apple in her infamous apple crumb.

Susan was a gifted artist who could bring almost anything to life on paper. She could draw from real life, a portrait of her husband studying, to a beautiful landscape. She also had impeccable penmanship, each word written with care and precision.

Susan was preceded in death by her husband, Phillip, parents Almer and Isabelle, and siblings Jane Hurley and John Nelson.

She is survived by her daughters, Jennifer (Chris) Caputo and Melinda (Brian) Schultz; grandkids, Brodie Nash, Ryan Caputo, and Natalie Caputo; and siblings, Margaret Follen, Hugh (Jacquie) Nelson, and David (Marianne) Nelson.

Susan had a truly warm heart and a special gift for making everyone who visited her feel instantly at home. She will be deeply missed by so many.