Even the Clouds Look Different

Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet. – Bob Marley

By Mary O’KEEFE

It is with a feeling of great sadness that we announce the passing of a member of our CVW family, Sue Kilpatrick.

Sue was our go-to weather columnist for nearly 13 years. Her passion for the weather was contagious, making what could have been just a hot/cold report into an education of the “why” and not just the “what.”

Sue found her passion for weather when she took a course on meteorology while attending CSUN. She not only wrote over 600 weather columns for CVW but was also a “skywarn weather spotter,” part of a volunteer program with the National Weather Service.

“These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service,” according to NWS.

But volunteering to serve her community was something Sue did in many ways including volunteering with the Historical Society of Crescenta Valley, Prom Plus, CV Town Council, CV Library Construction Fundraising; she was co-founder of the Ann Caporale Life Foundation [a high school scholarship program], a Boy Scout scoutmaster, on the Fremont Elementary School PTA, lead docent at the Autry Museum for the Tuesday staff, a Clark Magnet High School robotics team parent volunteer and part of Friends of Rockhaven. She received the California State PTA Honorary Service Award.

Amazingly, with all of her volunteering she also had time for a career as a teacher in the Special Education Dept. at Hoover High School and was a substitute teacher at Fremont Elementary and Clark Magnet High schools.

Career woman and volunteer warrior was what she was for her community; however, that pales in comparison to what were her main focuses: wife and mom.

Sue met her husband Doug while in college and they were married for over four decades. They had two boys, Chris and Greg, to whom she devoted even more volunteering time as a room mom and a Boy Scout leader.

“Sue was the best mom a son could ask for. She made it a point to always make it to my track meets in high school and college. She encouraged me as I found my way through a meandering college journey. My mom was there for me in the highs and lows of my journey of coming out and in my  first gay relationships. All of these hurdles that she supported me through would have been a headache for most moms, but she was always there for me … to support me, encourage me and cheer me on. I’m going to miss her deeply,” said son Greg.

“Sue overcame physical obstacles in her life that would have side-lined most of us. She was a pillar of strength for her family and filled her life with love and caring for her family and many friends,” said husband Doug.

On a personal note, I met Sue when she was volunteering at Prom Plus, then started seeing her at every event I was covering for both the Valley Sun and CVW. She was always involved, always knowledgeable and always willing to be the first to raise her hand when the call came out for help. I know what it is like to be a volunteer enthusiast and how exhausting and, at times, frustrating it can all be but Sue never showed anything but a positive attitude and happily went from one event to the next.

Perhaps her husband Doug said it best: “Sue was a hometown La Crescenta girl who believed that it was her responsibility and especially her privilege to give back to the community she loved.”

And now, because we know Sue would be upset if we forgot, here’s the forecast: At the beginning of the week Southern California had been experiencing a heat wave but by Wednesday there was a slight cooling, although it might not feel like it until Sunday when we go from 94 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday and 79 on Sunday. The humidity should also be increasing in the coming days. The severe heat warning ended on Tuesday. We are above our normal temperature, which is about 84 degrees for this time of year, and on Monday it was 100 degrees in Burbank, according to the National Weather Service.