Biography

Susan Orr, beloved lifelong organizer for peace and justice, defender of Mother Earth, accomplished artist, healer, Buddhist teacher, and spiritual leader, passed away in Sacramento, California on September 9, 2018 at the of age 76 encircled by her loving family.

Susan was born on November 18, 1941 to Simon D. Strauss, a mining executive, and Elaine Mandle Strauss, a social worker. When Susan was three years old her mother contracted polio and became a quadriplegic; she overcame her paralysis to live fully as an artist, writer, and volunteer. Susan and her older brother Peter grew up in New Rochelle, NY. Susan attended New Rochelle High School and then enrolled in Oberlin College. At Oberlin, where she majored in French and was involved in the civil rights movement, she met Sam Orr, whom she would marry. They had two children, Katie and David.

The 1960s began a lifetime of impassioned activism for Susan. Some highlights include her work with George Wiley at the National Welfare Rights Organization in Washington, D.C. Susan’s research on the “5500 or Fight” campaign was aimed at raising the federally defined poverty line to a more reasonable level. Her fight for economic justice produced the 1973 “Children’s March for Survival”—a large anti-poverty demonstration on the Washington Mall.

Later that year, Susan brought her organizing skills to Nevada. Her work changed the landscape of social and environmental justice in the state. She first worked to elect Maya Miller to the U.S. Senate, and then at the Foresta Institute for Ocean and Mountain Studies in Washoe Valley, Nevada. With Katherine Hale, Susan founded Citizen Alert—an organization advocating for Nevada’s environment and public health. Projects included cutting the size of the Valmy coal-fired power plant in half, fighting the MX Missile Project and the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository. In 1979 and 1980, Susan was a photographer for the Foresta Institute’s Nevada Folklife Project, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Archive, and the Library of Congress. She documented four Nevada cultures: Cowboys in Northeastern Nevada; Portuguese dairy farming in Fallon; Balkan mining communities in the Ely area; and Hispanic culture in Reno. Susan’s photographs preserve for posterity the research and community celebration of a significant slice of Nevada folklife.

Susan returned to school and majored in studio art and studied photography at the University of Nevada, Reno. She went on to graduate with a Master’s in Art Therapy from the University in Montpelier, Vermont. After starting a practice in Reno, she moved to Sacramento in 1987 and continued her work as an art therapist in both public and private practice. She went on to teach courses in Art Therapy at Sacramento State University and become a mentor to her students. She also served on the board of Chalk It Up, the non-profit chalk art festival that continues to raise funds for art in local schools. Susan was also a founding Advisory Board Member of California Lawyers for the Arts, where she was a volunteer community mediator and mediation trainer. She spent cherished time at Opening Doors, an organization that supports refugees adjusting to their new lives in Sacramento.

Responding to her son David’s tragic death at a young age, Susan and her family co-founded The David Samuel Orr Fund for the Earth to honor his memory and work. The Fund continues the efforts that David was passionate about—grassroots indigenous community organizing projects that focus on environmental justice for Native communities around the Southwest and Nevada. To date, the Fund has given more than $400,000 to groups in the form of grants. Susan also worked to support Native Americans by joining the Standing Rock Protests.

Along the way, Susan found Buddhism. Her dedication to her practice called her to complete the Dedicated Practitioners Program through Spirit Rock Meditation Center, which in turn led to her deeply cherished role as a beloved teacher and leader in the Sacramento Buddhist community. In 2012, she became a founding board member—and eventually President—of the Sacramento Dharma Center. With her gentle encouragement and supportive leadership, three Western Buddhism sanghas, with shared common roots, were able to find a permanent home. Buddhism also allowed Susan to bring together her passions for helping others and social and environmental justice when she founded the well-attended Climate Sangha. Susan also studied and led Qigong healing movement classes.

In addition to her healing practices and community organizing, Susan was an accomplished, lifelong artist whose work has been featured in numerous galleries and is widely collected.

Susan is survived in CA by her daughter, Katie Thomas; son-in-law, Richie Lawrence; grandchildren Gwen Benaim, Bevan Thomas, and Ian Lawrence; great-grandchildren, Sienna Rose and Jude; her brother, Peter Strauss; sister-in-law, Joanna Strauss; nephew, Ben; niece, Bethany; and their families in New York. Countless other family, friends, students, mentees, and sangha members around the world will miss her boundless compassion, generosity, and love.