Susan Elizabeth Daglio, 85
Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 10 months, 3 weeks AGO
Susan Elizabeth Daglio, April 25, 1939—Jan. 1, 2025.
Our beloved mother, wife, sister, daughter and friend, Susan Elizabeth Daglio, 85, returned to her Heavenly Father on Jan. 1, 2025. Her last hours on Earth were with friends and family, having a joyous New Year's Eve celebration.
Susan was born in Cedarburg, Wisconsin on April 25, 1939, and adopted as an infant by Enid and Dr. Edward Kraus. Her childhood was anything but ordinary, with six siblings—also adopted—the town's first-ever backyard swimming pool, and trips via sea plane to a private island preserve in Canada.
She graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Dental Hygiene. But before embarking on a 40+ year career as a dental hygienist, in what we might now call a "Gap Year," she lived in the Bahamas where her love of scuba diving was discovered.
Even while working and raising four children, she always had a love of learning—crochet, guitar, piano, and painting. She studied oil painting with the same teacher for many years, perfecting detailed large landscapes and flowers.
Her faith was very strong, and she was always drawn to lost souls, whether they be human or animal. Her children can write a book about the many animals—domesticated, and well, not-so-much—that spent time in their home.
She spent the final chapter of her life in Kalispell. There, she raised chickens, goats, and even had a couple of cows. Always the learner, she perfected making goats' milk soap. She and her husband were active in their parish and their community. They founded the Healing Room in Kalispell—a place for prayer and spiritual support—and would take sandwiches and minister to inmates at both the men's and women's prisons.
She is survived by her four children, Christine Campanelli, Jaycie Chitwood, Suzanne Charnley, and James Chitwood; her grandchildren, Delaney and Devin Chitwood; and her brother, Frank Kraus.
A memorial mass will be held at St. Matthews Catholic Church in Kalispell on June 17, at 11 a.m., and is open to all.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, California, where Susan's paintings have been donated and are now on display.