Susan Beth Larson
Susan Larson, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend and teacher, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, December 20, 2020, after a rare form of sarcoma cut her life short. She was born on December 8, 1966 to the late Roger and Barbara Larson of Morton Grove, Illinois and has resided in San Diego, California since 2000.
Susan graduated from Niles West High School in 1985, and earned her Bachelor’s of Science from Illinois State University in 1989. Susan spent nearly 30 years as a teacher, making an impact on hundreds of young lives during a career that took her from Chicago to Los Angeles, Mexico City, Guatemala City and, more recently, the Coronado Unified District, where she served at Silver Strand Elementary for the past 20 years. She was a no-nonsense teacher who was exceptional at teaching students to read and write, and she loved the ability to help mold and guide them. In fact, she formed such strong connections with her students that when they were given options of rewards, their favorite was to have lunch with Ms. Larson.
One of Susan’s greatest passions was traveling the world, and she was always up for an adventure - whether solo, with friends, with her sister Kirsten or her husband Rajeev. She enjoyed immersing herself in local cultures, and collecting colorful artwork from her global travels. Having visited over 50 countries, some of her favorite destinations included Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Morocco, India, Venezuela, Cuba, Vietnam, and Thailand to name a few. Susan also loved cruising with her husband’s family, the “Jain Clan” as she called them, through the Baltic Sea and Alaska. She was an avid hiker/camper and traversed many of our US state parks and throughout the world. She especially enjoyed the trails at Mount Whitney in California, the Dogon in Mali, Machu Picchu in Peru and Annapurna trek in Nepal. She met her husband in 2005 while camping in Baja, Mexico and they continued to carry on their love of the outdoors throughout their marriage.
Susan’s greatest source of serenity came from her strong Christian faith, reading scripture and daily devotionals, as well as attending Bible study. She also had many special places where she found peace and tranquility - such as enjoying the panoramic view of Mission Trails from the backyard of her home, watching the dazzling sunset at her local beaches, and going to the desert of Anza-Borrego in California.
She had many interests, including photography, reading, yoga, succulents, cooking and trying new recipes, shopping, the Brady Bunch, Judge Judy, and enjoyed her many collections, including Talavera pottery, religious crosses and Christmas ornaments from her travels. Susan was financially savvy and had a special knack for investing, and negotiating and scoring amazing deals.
Susan pushed hard both her spirit and her body to make sure never a minute on this earth was wasted and it was always full of productive life, joy and happiness. She lived life to the fullest and was taken too soon. May her memory be a blessing and live on in the hearts of her family and to everyone who knew her.
Susan is survived by a loving family: her husband, Rajeev Jain; her older sister Dale Duplessis and her husband Bob of Illinois; younger sister Kirsten Larson of New York; close family friend Georgia Boundroukas of Illinois; mother and father-in-law Sudha and Kris Jain of Florida; sister-in-law Rita Jain and husband Chinmay Majmundar of Florida; sister-in-law Meera Jain of Oregon; sister-in-law Nina Argiry and husband Paul of North Carolina; nieces Corina and Gabriella and nephews Sunil, Daniel and Matthew.
A virtual Funeral & Celebration of Life will be planned in the coming weeks and information will be forthcoming.
