"Susan" Emma Susanne Terry

"Susan" Emma Susanne Terry (88) passed away on March 31, 2026, with her loving family by her side at her home in Danville, VT. Susan lived and shared an adventurous creative life full of art, music, teaching, writing, mentorship, learning, laughter and love. She was born on July 1, 1937, in Ft. Worth, TX, daughter to the late Raymond Lee and Ester (Newton) Terry.

Raised in DeRidder, Louisiana, Susan carried many of her southern roots and traditions with her to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Despite never getting “used” to the cold, she loved her community and her home on High Reach Farm in North Danville, which she helped build and maintain with her husband, Stephen Parker (Steve Parker’s Tree Farm) for over 50 years. Susan was a preeminent teacher and practitioner of mediation and conflict resolution. She spent her career developing programs and practices that are used by mediators and conflict resolution practitioners worldwide. She has received countless awards, accolades, and recognitions for her tireless work in the field of Mediation and Conflict Resolution. She will be remembered for the work she did in collaboration with colleagues to standardize training and procedures within the field. She was very proud to be a member of the Mediation community.

Susan served as an officer of the Vermont Superior Court in Caledonia County mediating thousands of cases, while also developing practices for dispute resolution that are used Statewide in family court.

Susan was an author, editor, and reporter, including working for the Caledonian Record upon her arrival to Vermont in the late 1970’s.She was a teacher at Woodbury College (that was later acquired by Champlain college) where she and colleagues developed one of the first accredited mediation programs in the world. She lived an artist life. Here in the Northeast Kingdom, she was a founding member of The Pumpkin Hill Singers, where she and Steve wrote and performed many of their original songs. She took over direction of the group after the passing of its creator and her dear friend, David Hantman. She directed theater at Danville High School and The Danville Summer Singers. She and Steve made many appearances at St. Johnsbury’s First Night Celebrations performing their songs and telling stories from their life and the farm.Susan’s family celebrates a life well-lived and a legacy of caring, teaching, and a commitment to making her community, the world, and her home better than she found it.

Susan leaves behind her husband, Stephen Parker of North Danville, VT. Her children; daughter, Sarah Gowan and her husband, Bill Quern, of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Son, Lon Gowan and his wife, Julie Dolan, of Fayetteville Georgia. Grandsons; Garrett Sapsis of Media, Pennsylvania, and Noah Sapsis and his husband, Tyler O’Neil, of Portland, Maine. As well as many Albright, Parker, Terry, Newton, Flores, and Sapsis family members and beloved friends.

A gathering will be held at a date as yet to be determined.In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions be made to a charity of your choosing or to The Northern Counties Health Care (NCHC) which funds both The Danville Health Center and NCHC Home Care and Hospice, for whom the family is forever grateful to their exceptional and loving care of Susan. (https://www.nchcvt.org/support/donate-today/)

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at saylesfh.com