‘Susanne’ Emma Terry – July 1, 1937 to March 31, 2026

“Susanne” Emma Terry, 88, passed away on March 31, 2026, with her loving family by her side at her home in Danville, VT. Susan lived and shared an adventurous creative life full of art, music, teaching, writing, mentorship, learning, laughter and love. She was born on July 1, 1937, in Ft. Worth, TX, daughter to the late Raymond Lee and Esther (Newton) Terry.

Raised in DeRidder, Louisiana, Susan carried many of her southern roots and traditions with her to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Despite never getting “used” to the cold, she loved her community and her home on High Reach Farm in North Danville, which she helped build and maintain with her husband, Stephen Parker (Steve Parker’s Tree Farm) for over 50 years.

Susanne was a preeminent teacher and practitioner of mediation and conflict resolution. She spent her career developing programs and practices that are used by mediators and conflict resolution practitioners worldwide. She has received countless awards, accolades, and recognitions for her tireless work in the field of mediation and conflict resolution. She will be remembered for the work she did in collaboration with colleagues to standardize training and procedures within the field. She was very proud to be a member of the mediation community. Susanne worked in several countries-including the UK, Ghana, Italy and Belgium-as well as extensively throughout the United States.

Susanne was also co-founder of The Reflective Practice Institute International (with Michael Lang) and she taught and wrote about reflective practice and leading reflective practice groups for more than 30 years. Susanne was also the editor and an active contributor to More Justice, More Peace: When Peacemakers Are Advocates (2020).

Here is Susanne and Michael’s article about the founding of the Reflective Practice Institute.

Here also is Susanne’s co-authored Letter to our Colleagues about the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

Here is Susanne’s YouTube video welcoming students to her first “Reflective Practice” course:

And here are Susan and Michael further describing the work of The Reflective Practice Institute:

Susan was also the creator of the Mediation & Applied Conflict Studies Program at Woodbury College and was Program Director there for twelve years. In addition be being a faculty member at Woodbury for over 20 years, she also taught at Champlain College and Vermont Law School.

Susan also served as an officer of the Vermont Superior Court in Caledonia County mediating thousands of cases, while also developing practices for dispute resolution that are used Statewide in family court.

Susan was an author, editor, and reporter, including working for the Caledonian-Record upon her arrival to Vermont in the late 1970’s.

Susan lived an artist life. She was a founding member of The Pumpkin Hill Singers, where she and Steve wrote and performed many of their original songs. She took over direction of the group after the passing of its creator and her dear friend, David Hantman. She directed theater at Danville High School and The Danville Summer Singers. She and Steve made many appearances at St. Johnsbury’s First Night Celebrations performing their songs and telling stories from their life and the farm.

​Susan’s family celebrates a life well-lived and a legacy of caring, teaching, and a commitment to making her community, the world, and her home better than she found it.

Susan leaves behind her husband, Stephen Parker of North Danville, VT. Her children; daughter, Sarah Gowan and her husband, Bill Quern, of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Son, Lon Gowan and his wife, Julie Dolan, of Fayetteville Georgia. Grandsons; Garrett Sapsis of Media, Pennsylvania, and Noah Sapsis and his husband, Tyler O’Neil, of Portland, Maine. As well as many Albright, Parker, Terry, Newton, Flores, and Sapsis family members and beloved friends.

A gathering will be held at a date as yet to be determined.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions be made to a charity of your choosing or to The Northern Counties Health Care (NCHC) which funds both The Danville Health Center and NCHC Home Care and Hospice, for whom the family is forever grateful to their exceptional and loving care of Susan. (https://www.nchcvt.org/support/donate-today/)

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at saylesfh.com

                       

Susanne Terry

Susanne Terry has pioneered mediation and conflict education in the state of Vermont. One of the first mediators and conflict educators in the state, she created the Mediation Program of Woodbury College which later moved to Champlain College and became a highly respected graduate degree program.  This program was nationally… MORE >

                       

Jim Melamed

Jim Melamed co-founded Mediate.com in 1996 along with John Helie and served as CEO of Mediate.com through June 2020 (25 years).  Jim is currently General Counsel for Mediate.com and ODR.com. During Jim's 25-year tenure, Mediate.com received the American Bar Association's 2010 Institutional Problem Solver Award.  Before Mediate.com, Jim founded The… MORE >