Sue Whittle, was born June 25, 1962 in Dubuque, IA and grew up in rural Zwingle, IA where from her earliest days loved being outdoors in nature.  She was a self-described hippie.

A 1981 graduate of the Maquoketa Community Schools, Sue first came to Camp Courageous in the Fall of 1982, to be a counselor.  She came with the experience of being a nurse’s aid and loving to help others.  She was described in her first evaluation as ‘sweet, meek & quiet’ counselor…a perfect personality for many campers.  She did an exceptional job and was a huge hit with campers and staff alike.  Sue left Camp in the Fall of 1983.  But while at Camp she fell in love and would eventually marry her fellow counselor Steve Hunter on June 1, 1985 in Iowa City.  Eventually they headed to Utah.  Steve’s health began to fail, and he passed on February 5, 1994.

While living in Utah Sue attended The University of Utah from 1990-1995, receiving a BA in Behavior Science and in 1994 she received Certification, also from the U of Utah in Drug/Alcohol Treatment, which became a lifetime interest.  She came back to Camp Courageous in 1995 as the Nature Activity Specialist and stayed until 1998.  She loved working with the camp animals and experiencing first-hand the joy they brought the campers. In 1995 she became a Medication Manager and would spend the rest of her life helping camp’s nurses.

She would later marry Denny Chapman from Monticello in 2006, and from that marriage came a wonderful son, Zach…the most important thing in Sue’s life.  Denny passed in 2013.

During Sue’s first time at Camp, we encouraged all staff to obtain their chauffeur’s license, to broaden their capabilities to drive campers to and from the Lake at Central Park and other activities.  While being tested, an eye exam discovered that Sue had a vision impairment and could no longer drive. Sue quickly became an exceptional walker and user of public transportation where available.  One often saw Sue and Zach walking the streets of Monticello…which may have had a lot to do with Zach eventually becoming an exceptional long distance runner.

Sue loved all the campers and all the animals…but she also had a favorite, Heidi Altorfer.  Sue was always so excited when Heidi attended Camp events.

Sue never was too far from Camp Courageous.  Sue & Zach were very involved with Camp, with Zach doing his Eagle Scout Project at Camp. After Zach’s graduation and eventual desire to go to BYU, on November 8, 2021 Sue came back to Camp as a full time Volunteer Nature Director…

Sue took a year off volunteering at Camp Courageous to volunteer in Salt Lake City with theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  While in Salt Lake City she was diagnosised with cancer, but still had the opportunity to attend the wedding of her son Zach in July 2023. No one dreamed she would not be coming back to Camp Courageous, as she always did.   Sue passed away on March 18, 2024, following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

One of Sue’s many favorite songs was Bob Seger’s, ‘Against the Wind’.  Sue had many challenges throughout her life, but she always approached them with a positive attitude and the vision that the future will be better.  Sue’s life has been an inspiration to many and her passing will continue to inspire many by the way she lived her life.

An evening to celebrate Sue’s life will be held on Friday, April 5th, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Camp Courageous’ Durgin Pavilion 12101 190th Street Monticello, IA 52310.  It will be a special time to share stories and to share in some of Sue’s favorite foods (chicken, with the trimmings) favorite drink (Diet Coke) and a good selection of desserts.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Zack and Adrianna (Venmo to @adrianna-foster)

-Charlie Becker