Susan Cole
June 6, 1946 – July 21, 2025
calligrapher, teacher, dancer, gardener, church volunteer, former PSC President
She loved to dance and she loved to dance her letters.
Susan’s Story
Susan Joyce Cox Cole was born in King City, CA on June 6, 1946 to Chuck and Ann Cox and grew up with one brother, Jim Cox.
While attending Willamette University in 1964, Susan met her husband, Dennis, and they were married one week after graduation in 1968. Susan continued her studies in education and graphic design at Southern Connecticut State College and Portland State University. Dennis and Susan later moved to the Portland area and raised three children in the house they lived in for over 50 years, where she also started her own greeting card business, Dancing Letters.
From 1993-2023, Susan taught at Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver, inspiring many students in her calligraphy, graphic design and pottery classes. Her students appreciated her interest in their lives, her encouragement to explore their artistic creativity and for seeing in them what they couldn’t see in themselves.
Susan incorporated her love of calligraphy into many different art forms: ceramics, glass, book-making, and outdoor art. She curiously tried new techniques, took a wide variety of classes to expand her skills, and shared what she learned with friends in her studio.
A longtime supporter of PSC, Susan served on the board in several capacities including President. In addition, she organized the hanging of exhibitions and enthusiastically recruited new members. She always looked forward to her many visits to Menucha as she cherished having uninterrupted time to study and create.
Dancing was a very important part of Susan’s life. She loved to dance and she loved to dance her letters. Susan’s work reflects her spirituality, her love of beauty and nature, her playfulness, and her exquisite talent as an artist and a scribe.
Written with help from two of Susan’s lifelong friends, Susan Henry and Liz Lambert.
Susan and friend at the 2014 William Stafford exhibit
Susan at the 2008 Menucha retreat
Susan's Artwork
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Susan was so generous. I knew very little when I took my first calligraphy class with Carol DuBosch. At the beginning of the term, we were asked what we wanted to learn. I said I wanted to do calligraphy on my husband’s photos and wanted to know what paper to use. At the break Susan came over and gave me a whole sheet of Arches Textwove and told me to try this paper. I did, and my final project on his photo printed in that paper.