Obituary of Susan Strickland Gallagher

Susan Strickland Gallagher, of Boulder, died on May 4th at her home after a long battle with cancer. Sue was born May 27th, 1944, in Dayton, Ohio to Dudley and Jane Strickland of Littleton, CO. She graduated from Littleton High School in 1962 and studied at Smith College before earning her B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Sue then received her M.A. in Chinese Language from the University of Kansas. 
 After graduate school, Sue married Arthur Colpitt, Jr. and spent much of the next decade working and living in Hong Kong and Taipei. During this time, Sue had two children, Rik and Andrea. Upon her return to the United States, Sue and her family settled in Boulder, CO where she built a business, China Coast, that specialized in Chinese antiques. Sue's abiding love of travel and all things Asian helped her build a successful and well-known local company. In 2003, Sue married her second husband, Michael E. Gallagher. Sue and Mike shared a passion for things old and interesting. They spent much of their time together traveling in the U.S. and abroad, always finding antique stores or ancient sites to explore. Fluent in both academic and conversational Mandarin, Sue was a member of the Asian Studies Department at the Denver Art Museum. She also enjoyed gardening, fly-fishing, and was an avid reader; however, none of these pursuits came close to her number one passion: her family. Susan is survived by her loving husband, Michael E. Gallagher, his eight grandchildren, her two children, Arthur Colpitt III and Andrea Cullerton, Andrea’s husband, Scott Cullerton, and their three children, Tessa, Kellan and Finnegan, her sister, Carol S. Gamel, and Carol’s husband, Fred Gamel. 

 Memorial contributions may be made to the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (www.lungcancerfoundation.org) in celebration of Susan’s life. A service of remembrance is planned for May 27th (Sue's birthday) at The Community House at Chautauqua in Boulder at 11AM.