Susan Kay Burdick, 82, of Spencer, Iowa, passed away on August 5, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Society Nursing Home in Estherville. Visitation will be held Thursday, August 13, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Warner Funeral Home in Spencer. Funeral services will take place Friday, August 14, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Grace United Methodist Church in Spencer, followed by burial at Riverside Cemetery in Spencer.
Susan was born at Hand Hospital in Hartley, Iowa, on September 6, 1943, to Wilbert and Melva (Snyder) Rusch. She attended Okoboji Consolidated School in rural Milford, Iowa, for grades 1 through 8, and Everly High School in Everly, Iowa, for grades 9 through 12. She then attended Extension Business College in Omaha, Nebraska, completing a nine-month program in just six months. In 1962, Susan began her career on the teller line at Northwest Federal Savings & Loan, where she served in many different positions until her retirement in 2012 after 50 years of dedicated service.
Shortly after starting at Northwest Federal Savings & Loan, Susan married Jim Burdick on May 8, 1964, at Grace United Methodist Church in Spencer. They lived in Spencer for 13 years before moving to an acreage north of Spencer in March 1977. Susan was very involved in numerous church activities. She enjoyed photography, visiting Freedom Rocks, looking at old barns, researching genealogy, spending time outdoors, and visiting with friends. She was also an active member of the I.G.L. Saddle Club.
Susan was preceded in death by her husband, James Burdick (2013); her parents, Wilbert and Melva Rusch; her parents-in-law, Cliff and Della Burdick; her grandparents, Arthur and Gladys Rusch and Harold and Clara Snyder; and her cousins, Keith Rusch and Randy Dykstra.
She is survived by her brother, Morris (Judy) Rusch of Hartley, Iowa; her brother-in-law, Adrian (Paula) Burdick of Forest Lake, Minnesota; her nieces, Amanda Rusch (fiancé Darin) of Wayne, Nebraska, Elizabeth (Matt) Morris of Fairmont, Minnesota, and Sara Burdick of Shelton, Washington; as well as many other relatives and friends.
