LACONIA----Susan Gonnerman Hayes, 74, died Saturday, March 20, 2021, at the Genesis Laconia Rehabilitation Center in Laconia, NH.
Susan was born on August 27, 1946, in Washington, D.C., the third child of the late Harrison Frederick Gonnerman Jr. and Elizabeth Tobey Gonnerman.
She was a life-long artist, specializing in photography and painting, and her work had been exhibited at numerous local venues, including the Gordon Nash Library in New Hampton, the Laconia Public Library, and the AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon. A frequent subject of her artistic works was the natural landscape of New Hampshire.
In her early years, she lived in Hillsdale, NJ, and Bethesda, MD. As a child, she loved art and took classes at the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, D.C. She later attended the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Massachusetts, then went on to UMass Boston for a B.A., and to the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY, where she received an MFA.
In her thirties, Susan was diagnosed with a severe mental illness, and over the next four decades, she fought a brave and difficult battle with it. Despite this formidable hurdle, she remained a prolific artist and continued to paint into her final years. Susan lived in Laconia for the last few decades, and she spent her final six years at the Genesis Laconia Rehabilitation Center. Her family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the employees of the Rehabilitation Center for the loving and devoted care they provided.
Susan is survived by her brothers, Michael Gonnerman of Hanover, NH, and Tobey Gonnerman of Groton, NH, three nephews, and two nieces. Along with her parents, she was predeceased by her sister and best friend Hollace Gonnerman Prest and her niece Cynthia Gonnerman.
Susan will be buried at a later date, at the Trinity Churchyard Cemetery in Holderness, where her parents and her niece have been put to rest.
The Memorial Service and burial will be private.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com