Albuquerque, NM - Mary "Susan" Griebel passed away on January 11, 2026, in Albuquerque. She was born in Sterling, Colorado, on July 30, 1945, to Lela (Wright) and John Burke. Susan is survived by her husband of fifty-five years, Garitt Griebel; her two children, Patrick Griebel and Catherine (Scott) Bowman; and four grandchildren: Aspen and Georgia Griebel, and James and Theodore Bowman. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Daniel, who died in infancy.

Susan liked to regale her family with stories of her childhood in Sterling, including adventures with her childhood pals on 318 Lincoln Street, her beloved father's Radio and Record Shop on Main Street, her years at St. Anthony's High School, and annual trips on the Union Pacific Streamliner to visit extended family in Ohio and Indiana. She attended the University of Northern Colorado and graduated in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in education. After college, Susan moved to Colorado Springs to take a position as an English teacher at Saint Mary's High School. There she met Garitt, a fellow teacher, and the two married in 1970.

Along with Garitt, Susan devoted much of the next four decades to teaching. Their careers took them from Colorado to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha and later to the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell. After raising two children, she earned her master's degree in education from Eastern New Mexico University. She taught at NMMI until her retirement in 2005. Susan and Garitt returned to Colorado and settled in Woodland Park, where they enjoyed exquisite views of the Rocky Mountains. She was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Colorado Springs and later Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Cascade. Susan filled her time with new and intellectually engaging pursuits. She excavated and meticulously documented the genealogies of both her and Garitt's parents and their descendants-a labor of love that will allow future generations to know their roots. In the 2000s she covered the education beat for the Pikes Peak Courier. She also honed her skills as a watercolor painter, capturing priceless moments of her grandchildren and the landscapes she encountered during cross-country travel.

Above all, Susan cherished her family (and her beagles). We will miss her love, keen wit, and boisterous laughter forever. Her memorial will be held at 11 a.m. on January 27 at St. Mark Catholic Church, 3141 W. 96th Ave., Westminster, CO 80031.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, an on-line donation be made to the Alzheimer's Association (https://alzfdn.org/donate/ ).