Sue Bordner’s Passing – Obituary
[Editor’s Note: Sue Bordner was a branch member and past AAUW California president. This obituary was published in the Sacramento Bee.]
Sue Bordner
Susan Elizabeth Wellington Bordner, born December 23,1939 in San Francisco, CA, to James Frederick Wellington and Caroline Wardner Harrison Wellington of Berkeley, CA passed away on November 15th, 2021 at 81 years of age.
Raised in Berkeley and Kensington, CA, Sue, as she was called, attended Kensington Elementary School, Portola Junior High School, was an active Girl Scout and Senior Girl Scout Mariner, and graduated in 1957 from The Anna Head School in Berkeley. She attended Pomona College for one year where she met her husband of 61 years Dalton William Bordner. She transferred to UC Berkeley where she became a member of Phi Mu Sorority and then to UCLA, after marriage, graduating with a BA in Political Science in 1961. She and husband Dalt moved to Fullerton, CA in 1963 where they raised three sons: Robert, Douglas and Bruce. All their sons achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the BSA.
Sue was a lifelong volunteer in the communities where she lived. She served on PTA boards of schools her sons attended and on the Fullerton PTA Council, and on boards of the North Orange County YWCA and the League of Women Voters. She served on the City of Fullerton Planning Commission 1977-81 and was recognized for her service on the Orange County Transportation Commission’s Special 20 Year Master Plan Citizen’s Committee in 1989.
She was a 50-year Honorary Life Member of the American Association of University Women, serving as the Fullerton Branch President in 1985-86, as Director of Public Policy for the California State AAUW 1990-92, as the State AAUW President 1994-96, and in other state level board positions. Women In Action Lobby Day (WIALD) was developed while she was Director of Public Policy. In 1994, the Bordners relocated to El Dorado Hills in Northern California and Sue joined both the Sacramento and Foothills of El Dorado County branches of AAUW.
Sue was introduced to Japanese flower arranging (ikebana) in 1986 while her husband was working in Singapore for Ameron PTE. When they returned to California in 1987, she began taking lessons in the Ikenobo School of Ikebana and in 1990 in the Sogetsu School under the direction of sensei Kimi Kika Shibata in Sacramento. She attained the Fourth Grade teaching certificate. She served on the board of the Sacramento Chapter #26 of Ikebana International for many years, including time as bylaws chair, newsletter editor, and president. She displayed and demonstrated at Sogetsu and Ikebana International events, at the Bloom 1 & 2 shows in Davis, CA. She was a member of the Sacramento Floral Design Guild also.
In 2019 Sue and Dalt relocated to South Orange County to the active retirement community of Reata Glen in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA where she died. Cause of death was cancer.
Sue is survived by her husband Dalton William Bordner; sons Robert (Susan) of Seattle, WA, Douglas (Jennifer) of Simi Valley, CA, and Bruce (Christine) of Riverside, CA; Grandsons Nicholas, Austin, Travis and Ryan; Granddaughters Caroline, Samantha, Tara, and Addison; and Step-Grands Mitchell and Kate Duran. She is also survived by her brother, James “Jim” (Cheryl) of Davis, CA and several cousins.
Plans for a Celebration of Life will be announced at a future time. McAulay and Wallace Mortuary of Fullerton is handling arrangements for the family.
[If you’d like to donate to the American Fellowship in Sue’s name, send your check made out to AAUW, with American Fellowship in the memo line, to Treasurer Liz Jordan, who will make sure it gets to where it needs to go. Liz’s contact information can be found in the Membership Directory.]