Susan Jenkins nee Arnold passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield, Wisconsin; after being transported there by ambulance from her home in Willard, Wisconsin, near Osseo. For most of the past decade, she had been experiencing heart issues.

She is survived by John, her beloved life mate of 37 years, and their beloved dog Sweetie, a Chimini rescue dog, as well as her Arnold cousins and an abundance of friends who also considered her family. She was preceded in death by her treasured beagle Cubbie, also a rescue; her brother Peter, her parents Bernie and Jack, and her birth mother.

Susan was adopted shortly after her birth in 1953 by Jack and Bernie Arnold. Later in life, she and her birth mother found each other and met in her birth mother's hometown in southern California. They stayed in touch which was a great comfort to each of them.

She grew up in a red brick house in the Third Ward of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and attended Campus School, on the grounds of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. There, Susan had many friends including Margie (Kliener) Crow, Robb Schwartz, and Rosalyn Ross. She and Margie Crow were lifelong friends. She visited Margie and her husband Pete Crow in Colorado several times over the years, and like many elementary school chums, they remained in touch ever since.

When she entered high school, her family moved to a new mid-century modern home on the northeastern shore of Lake Altoona. She attended and graduated from North High School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. While there, she became involved with the leadership organization group called Up with People. She traveled with the Up with People troupe performing across the United States and around the world during high school.

After high school graduation and Up with People, she moved to San Diego, California; and married Pete Solheim. After five years, they divorced. She then moved to Prescott, Arizona; and attended Prescott College. She also worked as a travel agent. Later she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota; where she worked as a travel agent, and as an administrative assistant for Eckankar, the spiritual path she had joined in 1973. Eckankar became her focus in life until her recent earthly departure.

She met her life mate John Jenkins in Minneapolis, and they married. From there they moved to the forests of northern Wisconsin near Ashland for a time. They stayed through a difficult winter and then drove to Prescott, Arizona; where she worked for the local Jewish temple, and John sold remote land. After five years, they returned to Minneapolis and then moved to Willard, Wisconsin; where Susan did marketing and graphic arts for the Christine Center, a retreat center founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. John retired and volunteered as a driver for the Christine Center.

Her family and friends will gather privately later this summer to celebrate Susan's life.