Life Story
Suzanne Jean “Sue” Dotten
April 7, 1944 – October 28, 2026
Suzanne Jean “Sue” Dotten (née Boehm), 82, of Sandy, Utah, passed away on October 28, 2026. She was born on April 7, 1944, in Fort Logan, Colorado, to Arthur Boehm and Gertrude Peters.
Sue’s brilliance was evident from an early age. She was so far ahead in reading, writing, and math that she skipped both the second and third grades, and she never stopped learning. A passionate reader with an endless thirst for knowledge, she pursued medical research in her spare time and became a member of Mensa. Yet she carried her intellect lightly and never needed to be the smartest person in the room—though in all her years, no one could ever beat her at Scrabble.
In 1961, she married John Haselmann, and together they had four children. While raising her family, Sue studied nursing at the University of Pennsylvania and Seton Hall University, where she graduated as valedictorian and summa cum laude. In 1980, she married Edwin “Ed” Dotten at Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, New Jersey.
She spent decades caring for others as a nurse, first with the Visiting Nurse Service of Newark, New Jersey, then in various departments at Overlook Hospital in Summit, and later as the school nurse at Hazel Avenue School in West Orange. Patients and students alike experienced her rare blend of skill and tenderness.
Sue was a deeply spiritual woman with a lifelong fascination with the body’s natural ability to heal. She devoted herself to learning ways to nurture that healing, both as a nurse and through alternative therapies. She trained in Therapeutic Touch (a form of energy therapy), earned an advanced certification in Ohashiatsu, and became a Feng Shui master. She studied ancient Chinese herbal medicine, often remarking that the cure was just as likely to be found in the cupboard as in a prescription bottle.
Her interests extended to tarot, Reiki, and numerology, and she could interpret an astrological birth chart without looking up a single symbol. It is no coincidence that she passed at the ‘Angel Number’ of 4:44 am. She adorned herself with crystals and spent a lifetime cultivating her intuition and psychic gifts. She could read auras and just “know.” At her core, Sue believed in the healing power of the universe, the strength of positive thought, and the comfort and transformative power of prayer.
Her curiosity carried her around the world, to Japan, Russia, New Zealand, across Africa and Europe, and on a river journey down the Amazon. Closer to home, she quietly looked after many in her community—the sick, the elderly, the lonely, and anyone else in need. Caring for others was the thread that ran through her entire life, continuing after retirement when she served as a hospice volunteer.
Sue was a devoted mother and grandmother whose love was unconditional and whose generosity never asked for anything in return. She raised her family on integrity, kindness, and a belief in karma—the conviction that the energy we put into the world finds its way back to us.
Perhaps her greatest gift to her family was the way she taught them to see the world. She helped them understand that life is wider and more wondrous than any single way of seeing or understanding it. She encouraged them to approach unfamiliar ideas with curiosity rather than fear, to embrace people and beliefs different than their own, and to believe that great things are possible. Rather than telling them what to think, she gave them something more lasting: the freedom and confidence to wonder, to question and to explore.
To her 14 grandchildren, she was ‘G-Ma,’ and they were among the greatest blessings of her life. She was their loudest cheerleader, loving each for exactly who they were and making sure every one of them felt believed in. Usually the one behind the camera, she leaves a treasured collection of photographs. But her greatest gift was the truth she told them again and again: “Everything you need, you already have within you.”
Sue greeted everyone from the heart, with a smile that could brighten anyone’s day. Her radiant spirit remained with her to the very end, and all who shared in her life, love, and light feel endlessly blessed. The physical world has lost an extraordinary soul, but there is peace in knowing that heaven is joyfully welcoming her home.
Sue was predeceased by her parents, Arthur Boehm and Gertrude Peters; her husband, Ed Dotten; and her son, Gregory John Haselmann. She is survived by her children, Terri Lee Rowe, Karen Lynn Glover, and Guy Philip Haselmann; her brother, Daniel Boehm, and his son, Ken; her grandchildren, Megan, Bryn, Shannon, Fallon, Rachel, Arden, Hadley, Xander, Leo, Ariel, Eric, Matthew, Beth, and Kate; and five great-grandchildren.
In her memory, and in lieu of flowers, please consider planting a tree.