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Sue Ann Andersen (née Fenske) died peacefully on February 5th, 2026 at Glendale Adventist Hospital in Southern California. She was 87. Sue was able to spend her final days communicating with friends and loved ones in person and via video, and was still sharing her brilliant smile the night before she passed in the presence of family.
Sue had an adventurous nature and incredibly resilient spirit. She liked to say that she had lived nine lives due to the many different experiences she had as a military wife, mother, teacher, hippie, farmer, missionary, world traveler, and community activist.
Born June 29, 1938 in Lansing, Michigan, Sue moved frequently during her childhood due to her father’s military career. She often spoke fondly of her family’s time in various places but especially her years in Houghton, Michigan, where she met her high school sweetheart and future husband Einer Andersen. She graduated from Houghton High School and attended Michigan State University until they married in 1958. Einer completed ROTC at Michigan Tech before being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Air Force. Their four children Jackie, Rodney, Brett who died one day after birth – a loss that weighed heavily on her for the rest of her life, and Bradley were born in quick succession. Sue was twenty-five years old with three children under the age of five when, on May 3, 1963, Einer was tragically killed in a military aircraft crash in Ventura, California.
As a young widow, Sue finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon, where she participated in pioneering research and implementation of new approaches in early childhood education. She lived in Oregon for over two decades and remarried twice – the
second time gaining a stepson Ché and then giving birth to two more daughters, Dove and Maya. In 1986, Sue and her third husband became missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators and moved to Papua New Guinea with their daughters. The couple split in 1992 and several years later, at an age when many would retire, Sue returned to complete the project they had started – supporting the translation of the New Testament on the remote atolls of Takuu and Tasman as well as the establishment of indigenous language preschools on the atolls and in other Papua New Guinean communities.
When she finally retired in 2010, Sue relocated to Los Angeles, California in order to be part of her eighth grandchild Addison’s life, as she regretted having been so far away while her older grandchildren were growing up. She spent her final years enjoying coffee with friends, attending countless baseball and football practices and games, traveling domestically and internationally, going to the theatre and Opera, and working in her garden. Sue also developed an increasing passion for equal rights and democracy and was active in reaching out to voters and vocally supporting various causes. She is survived by her brother Ric Fenske, six children, ten grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life is planned for 21 February 2026 at Sue’s home in Los Angeles and her ashes will be interred with Einer and Brett in Houghton, Michigan.
In lieu of flowers or other gestures, donations may be made in Sue’s honor to Each Step Home – at bit.ly/HonorSue.
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