Susan Manthey Zorn (91) of Beverly, Massachusetts, died peacefully on May 5, 2025.
Susan was born on May 6, 1933 to Paul Manthey Zorn Sr. and Ruth Stephan in New Haven,
Connecticut, the last of three children.
She attended Bryn Mawr College before marrying
Bruce E. Richardson in 1952. The couple settled in New Jersey, where they had five children,
Amy, Ethan, Ruth Stephanie, Julie and Joel. In 1960 the family moved to Wellesley,
Massachusetts, where Abigail was born. After some years as a full-time mother, Susan
resumed her college education at Harvard Extension, completing her degree in 1971, and
moved to Beverly, Massachusetts. She worked at Addison Wesley Publishing as a secretary
and was promoted to managing editor before moving to Hewlett Packard, where she was a
highly successful executive until retirement.
Susan was a devoted member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, where she sang in the choir,
worked in the vestry, and served as a volunteer. She was a life-long reader, a great lover of
dogs, and a wonderful cook. She became a talented painter of Orthodox icons. Two icons, St.
Francis of Assisi and St. John, are on display at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Susan is survived by her children, with the exception of Joel, who to the great sadness of all
the family died in 2018 at age 56. Other survivors include her six grandchildren, Celeste
Richardson, Rhys Thomas, David Teraoka, Jonathan Teraoka, Eve Barr, and Paul Flavell; and
three great-grandchildren, Atlas, Phoebe, and Oliver.
Funeral services will be held on May 31 at 1 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 705 Hale St., Beverly, MA 01915 (Beverly Farms) with George Stevens officiating.
Her ashes will be buried in the memory garden at the church, next to her son Joel’s ashes.
Donations in her memory may be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For guestbook and to send a condolence, please visit www.LevesqueFunerals.com .