RIP Susan Kay Guile 1961-2024

I haven't been very active on this site for the past year or so as my wife was in her 12th year of fighting cancer. That battle ended 21 October 2024 when she passed peacefully at home. Her entire life was spent with animals. Rescuing some 70 plus dogs and cats in the last 20 years and even a few horses. Susan was a talented horsewoman. She grew up horseback riding with Charros and Escaramuzas in Del Rio, Texas. Escaramuzas are basically female Charros who ride in special side saddles executing intricate patterns in the arena wearing beautiful, colorful dresses sombreros. It's certainly something to watch. She barrel raced in local rodeos in Pennsylvania as well as doing other competitive events. She spent two years in Germany riding classical dressage from one of the last World War II era dressage masters. Then she moved to Southern California serving as a horsemanship instructor, wrangler and trail guide on a Dude Ranch near Barstow, California. There she adopted a chestnut foal named Ande (Andromeda McCue) a granddaughter of Pan McCue, who was with her for 26 years.

Moving to El Paso, Texas where I met her in 2001, Susan taught horsemanship and riding to dozens of adults and children at High Desert Riding Club at Fort Bliss, Texas one of the last of the US Army's horse stable facilities. A weekly occurrence was her riding someone's horse to get it sorted out or to trailer load a horse that the owner's couldn't. For the last 23+ years she continued to be a friend and mentor to many of her horsemanship students who would often call her for advice even up to a few weeks ago. One of those students moved to Hawaii, and who we shipped a couple of nice horses to, came to El Paso to be a 24/7 nurse to my wife in her last days. I am forever indebted to Arlene for that.

A talented artist, Susan painted mostly oil on canvas and was active in the El Paso International Museum of Art, El Paso Artists Association and local painting groups where she was celebrated for her western art featuring Cowboys and Horses, although she did other subjects as well and won awards for her work. She only painted from pictures she owned so most of her work was me and my horses which was unfortunate at some level. This is some of her work below:

I tired like hell to get her home from the hospital just as soon as I could so she could see her horses again. We did get home before she passed but she was too weak to be moved from the hospital bed we had installed at the house. Two days after she passed we put her horse Charlie down. He was 37 years old and suffering from bowed tendons, arthritis and his rapid descent mirrored Susan's. I think he knew anyway. That's him in the photo below with my wife during better days 10 years ago. Even suffering from cancer then, she never let it define her or limit her until the last couple months. She was comforting us as we cried over her.

As a testament to the life she lived, dozens of old friends and remote family members visited her both in the hospital in Houston and at our home. During the last five weeks of my wife's life, she had to have a trichotomy as the cancer had ravaged her head and neck occluding upper airway. She communicated by writing in a notebook, often drawing some funny cartoons, much at my expense. What gives me peace and comfort during these days of grief is when our Pastor asked my wife if she felt God's presence, she wrote. "He has told me that I should have faith through all tribulation and trials. If His Son could bear all his pain we could do so was well." She passed wo days later. Rest in Peace at Jesus' side Sweetie.