Susan Best

Susan Kraetsch Best was born in Des Moines, Iowa on March 9, 1920 to a prominent Des Moines architect. She was the youngest of 3 sisters, traveled abroad and attended balls at the Des Moines Club. She met Earle Best at the University of Iowa and they were married in 1940. “Susie” contracted asthma in Michigan after the births of her boys, Billy and Johnny, and the family moved to the drier southwestern part of the U. S. to try and effect a cure. In a small construction camp, that Earle ran on an Indian reservation around Los Alamos, NM, the family spent some of their happiest years. Earle worked the construction camp with Pueblo Indian help. He and Susie ran the general store, post office and ice house. The family roamed the mesas of New Mexico, camped out and fell in love with New Mexico. The family moved several more times, until Susie’s asthma was completely cured in El Paso where she and Earle spend the last 50 enjoyable years of their lives. Susie raised her family and loved to play bridge and entertain. In the last 25 year of her life, Susie and Earle raised and loved dozens of stray dogs. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 67 years. She leaves two children and 5 grandchildren. She was 90 years old. A Memorial Visitation will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Friday, April 2, 2010 at Restlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Mausoleum Chapel.