To say my cousin was “horse crazy” was an understatement. Horses were always a central part of Sue’s life, from riding miles on ponies with my brother Mike and me while growing up in Boulder, to showing horses at the 4H fair in Twin Bridges, to becoming a professional trainer of racehorses all over Montana, Idaho and Canada.
For the last decade, Sue worked at Bridger Veterinary Clinic, where she was able to share her love of horses and all types of four-legged furry friends. She was well known and appreciated by the staff and clients alike. Sue spent much of her last three years raising, spoiling and loving her beautiful paint colt, “Ducky.” It was her hope to see him run on the racetrack — and we all know that when this happens, Sue will be cheering him on from above. Sue shared her love of horses and all animals with her family members, especially the young nieces, cousins’ children and grandchildren.
Sue spent many hours during her early years with her grandparents Bernice and Howard Nye. She had many adventures at the Sunshine Health Mine, which they owned, including trying to pet a friendly bear, picking wild raspberries, and travels in the golf cart with her cousins.
She attended Boulder Elementary before moving to Helena in 1980 to become a member of the Baerstch family when her mom, Maggie, married Skeeter Baerstch. That union not only led to Sue gaining two brothers and a sister, but made her longtime Boulder area friends from the McGowan and Baerstch families, now her relatives also. Once you were family to Sue, you were family forever.
Sue was also a very talented artist. Many of her paintings and drawings in oil, pastels, watercolors or ink were of horses and horse racing. Family members and friends cherish these beautiful works of art. Her talents also included being a fabulous baker; she loved to share her treats with others.
The devastating diagnosis of cancer in December of 2016 did not get Sue down for long. Her eternal optimism, ready smile and compassion were an inspiration to all. Sue shared this positivity with many new friends, cancer survivors and those fighting their own battle, through social media and during her treatment at St. Peter’s Hospital. These new friends, from all over the country, and Canada, benefitted from Sue’s smile, friendship, support, and loving outlook.
One Facebook friend wrote: “There’s a very special woman who saved my life. Her name is Sue Resch. She’s faced with an incurable Stage 4 cancer and yet she encouraged me each step of the way for five whole months and told me that I inspired her!! She made me strong.”
Another person who had been fighting cancer for five years and had never met Sue packed up his clothes and told his wife he was going to Helena. He traveled two days from Port Orchard, Washington on his Harley motorcycle to see Sue just before she passed, because of the friendship and support they had shared. They visited for two hours and then some more the next day before he biked home.
A horse training friend, Helen Akerstrom of Alberta, Canada recently let us know that Sue’s name had been placed on the Canadian track’s Memorial Board this year for the “Keepin On Keepin On” Race. Sue is the first American Trainer to be given this honor.
Sue lost her fight with cancer on July 6, 2020 at the age of 54. She lived a full and happy life and is remembered and missed by many, including her friends and family, her race track family all over the U.S. and Canada, her co-workers and all of her furry four-legged family members, including her pup Molly.
