Susan "Susie" Davis

A truly strong and spirited soul left us on Sunday, March 29, 2026. Susie Speck Davis lost her battle to Pulmonary Fibrosis and is now breathing freely again in eternal peace.

Susie was born and raised in Champagne, Illinois and went on to attend Indiana University, where she met her husband, John Davis. Susie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Outdoor Recreation and Parks Administration in 1975. She spent the summers of her youth attending Phantom Lake YMCA Camp and those experiences led her to share her love of the outdoors with many generations to come. She began her programming legacy by creating the Safari Day camps at the Indianapolis Zoo. While she chose to be a “stay at home mom” to her two children, Leslie and Bret, she remained very dedicated to the camping world. As an active volunteer and Board of Directors member to the American Camping Association, and Flat Rock River YMCA Camp, she was always involved in new ways to help the camping world improve and grow. She was also a dedicated leader to Girl Scout Troop 1006, of Carmel Indiana. And without Susie, this troop of Carmel girls would have had a hard time finding someone to teach them how to start a fire, sleep under the stars, navigate cave camping, learn that bats won’t bite you, spiders won’t kill you, and most importantly….how pee in the woods. After Leslie and Bret started college, Susie went back to her roots and enjoyed programming summer camps for the Noblesville Parks Department.

Susie enjoyed spending time with her four grandchildren, Edward, Colton, Wyatt, and Clara. She was the “Grammy” that provided music, karate, horseback riding, dance, and guitar lessons, as well as countless adventures to different museums and destinations around town. When riding in the car with Susie, you were treated to endless hours of Sea Shanties….whether you wanted to or not. She loved a great book and the chance to tell you what was happening in her latest read. Susie’s favorite place to be was the family ranch in Wyoming. Every summer she would pack up the pups and John and head west to enjoy the mountain sunrises, double rainbows after afternoon storms, jigsaw puzzles and endless wildlife sitings. She loved hosting friends and family and sharing the beauty and history of the ranch and the west.

When Susie allowed herself some “me” time, she excelled in many various activities. Karate in the 1980’s, marching with a fife flute along her son Bret as he played the bagpipes with the Dalriada Society in parades, riding sidesaddle with Hoosier Ladies Aside on Leslie’s horse Cayenne, and the list could go on and on. But it was with her chorus group White River Sound, a local chapter of the international singing group Sweet Adelines, that she spent her time most recently. She enjoyed singing with these ladies at local events as well as performing in large scale regional competitions. This group of special ladies were very important to Susie, and became a second family to her later in life.

To say that Susie’s family and friends are crushed to lose her, is definitely an understatement. But she loved to be in charge and remind everyone of the rules and expectations! She would not want tears for her passing, but instead would want everyone to honor her memory by remembering to: brush your teeth, unload the dishwasher, refill the bird feeder, walk the pups, always use a placemat, and Halloween decorations are expected to go up in mid-September!

A memorial for Susie is set to take place at Forest Park in Noblesville on May 16, 2026. Additional details will be released closer to the date. If you have any stories or photos that you would like to share with Susie’s family of your time with her, please email: memoriesofsusiedavis@yahoo.com

In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage donations be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org).