Sharon "Susi" Tipping Obituary (1949 - 2025)

Sharon Sue Tipping 76 of Fairfield passed away on Thursday February 27, 2025 at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City after a sudden illness. A Vedic service to honor Sharon's life will be at 2:00PM on Sunday March 2, 2025 at Cranston Family Funeral Home in Fairfield. She was born Sharon Sue Russell on February 3, 1949 to Maynard and Alice Russell in Oklahoma. She enjoyed a childhood experiencing a number of places in the US, including New Orleans. Susi attended Memphis Southwestern College in Tennessee and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked briefly in Boston before moving to attend Western Michigan University, earning a graduate certificate in Early Childhood Special Education. Susi then moved to the Washington, D.C. area and worked as a school guidance counselor. There she met and married Bill Tipping, and together they adopted two sons, Nathan and Jonathan. Susi completely devoted her life and heart to raising her children. Susi 's whole life was dedicated to spiritual growth. She was a governor and active practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and a devotee of Amma Sri Karunamayi, traveling to India several times to be with her on retreats. In 2010 she completed training and was ordained a Minister in the Divine Mother Church in Fairfield. A cornerstone of Susi's rich spiritual life was a St. Jude Novena group that formed in 1987 in Washington, D.C. with a group of like-minded friends. This group integrated her spiritual journey with friendship and support and was foundational to Susi for 38 years. In 2015, Susi moved to Fairfield, rejoining many close Washington, D.C. friends who relocated here before her. She increased her bounty of cherished friends through her involvement with the Divine Mother Church. Just shortly before her passing, Susi celebrated her 75th birthday on February 3 and enjoyed a Valentine's Day gathering on February 14 surrounded by many close friends who loved her, a fulfilling end to a remarkable life. Susi is survived by her son, Jonathan; her sister, Ann and her husband Jim; and many dear friends who were like her second family. She was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved son Nathan. Susi's brilliant smile and warm friendship will be sorely missed.