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BUTCHER -- Susan Elizabeth November 21, 1960 to April 15, 2009 A light did indeed go out in Santa Fe, when architect and designer Susan Elizabeth Butcher died at her home in Galisteo, NM on April 15, 2009 at age 48 after a long, courageous battle with cancer, during which she continued her grand humor, her full and contagious laugh and passion for visiting with friends. Her husband, Henry, never wavered in her difficult care and was always beside her. A 1978 graduate of Sandia High School, she spent her junior year in France as a foreign exchange student. While studying ballet with Lucy Hayden at the Hayden School of Ballet for 12 years, Susan became an accomplished ballet student, a discipline in which she took great pride. A native of Albuquerque, NM, Susan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture from Princeton University in 1983 and a Master's of Architecture cum laude from Princeton in 1987. Her talent and sophistication were apparent in her student work. Like Susan herself, her design work and drawings were elegant, delicate, precise, and graceful. She had the confidence and aesthetic vision to find the perfect balance of design elements that made her projects both tasteful and unique. She began her career at Hardy, Holtzman, Pfeiffer Associates in New York in 1980. While at Hardy, Holtzman, she worked on the feasibility study for the redesign of the Grand Central Terminal. In June, 1983 Susan was hired as a designer by award winning architect Michael Graves in Princeton, and rose to Director of Interiors before leaving in September 1990. Her projects at Graves included the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, both receiving the AIA Mid-Florida Chapter Design Award, and the Aventine Hyatt Hotel in La Jolla, California. She was also involved in the firm's design work on the Humana Corporate Headquarters in Louisville, KY and the Emory University Museum of Modern Art in Atlanta, which were recipients of the prestigious AIA National Award. She is acknowledged as a Project Assistant in Grave's book "Michael Graves Buildings and Projects 1982-1989." After leaving Graves' firm, Susan served as Director of Architectural Design for Tishman Construction Corp. of New York from 1990-91. While at Tishman she worked on the Chicago Sheraton and the Rio Mar Resort in Puerto Rico. The founder of Susan Butcher Design, Susan was known for her interior work on hotels, restaurants, and museums, as well as residences. One of her collaborators was her husband, designer Henry Noestheden. She created her eponymous design firm in 1991 in New Mexico where she was a registered Architect. Her major projects included interior design work for the Eldorado Hotel and the Inn of the Anasazi, both in Santa Fe, as well as the Four Seasons Resort in Nevis, West Indies. The Fairmont at the Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Westin Hotel in Detroit. Works still in progress were a large vacation home in Anquilla, a mountain home in Vail, Colorado, and a three house ranch complex in Marfa, Texas. "In addition to her passion for architecture, design, and fashion, Susan loved to cook, and even as a student would entertain friends with delicious and beautiful meals. Whether it was an impromptu dinner, or her wedding celebration with Henry, Susan created memorable events where her attention to detail made everyone feel welcome and special. Susan's witty perspective helped her friends and colleagues cope with the pressure of deadlines both in graduate school and at the office. But her humor didn't hide her serious approach to her design work, and her solid commitment to her friends." (Nancy Clayton, AIA) "I respected her intelligence, admired her achievements as a professional and was humbled by her generosity, kindness and consideration as a friend. She did touch my life and made a difference in who I am." (designer and childhood friend, Eric Montoya.) Susan is survived by her husband Henry Noestheden; her parents Barry Miller and Elizabeth Anne Butcher of Albuquerque; and two brothers William Robert Butcher and partner Craig W. Thomsen of Portland, OR, and James Douglas Butcher, wife Crystal Montgomery Butcher and their three children Anastasia Michelle, Cameron James and Nathan Montgomery. Susan's life will be celebrated on June 27, 2009 at 1 p.m. at Galisteo. Guests are asked to RSVP and receive further directions by e-mail to jl@sbdsf.com or by calling Susan Butcher Design at (505) 982-7648. A scholarship in Susan's memory is being established at the University of Cincinnati, where she mentored Interior Design students, and where her own mentor, Michael Graves, holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree. For those wishing to contribute, further details of the fund will be available at the Memorial or by calling Susan Butcher Design at (505) 982-7648. "And ever has it been said that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." (The Prophet, Gibran Kahlil)
        Published on: Sun June 21, 2009