Susan Knier-Shapley
Susan Margaret Knier-Shapley, 59, died on December 14, 2024 at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, CA. She died of multiple organ failure of unknown causes.
Susan, the ninth of ten children, was born on May 3, 1965 in Saint Cloud, MN to Clifford and Theresa Knier. She liked to ice skate in the winters and to swim in the summers. In high school, she participated in choir and band and was a yearbook editor and a cheerleader. She competed in basketball and in track and field. As an adult, she completed triathlons, ran marathons, and loved to swim in La Jolla Cove and at Tourmaline Beach.
Susan moved to southern California in 1988. She began her career at Sharp HealthCare as an occupational therapist, and worked there for the next 35 years, sharing generously of her gifts for leadership and earning several honors and awards along the way.
Susan earned a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Minnesota, her MBA from Aspen University, and a Doctor of Occupational Therapy with Mental Health Specialization from Bay Path University. She also earned her Executive Certification in Negotiation and Conflict Management from Notre Dame and her teacher certification in Compassion Cultivation Training from Stanford University’s school of medicine. She went to Botswana as a compassion trainer and advocate.
Ever intrepid, Susan travelled all her life, including to India and across Europe, up Mount Kilimanjaro, to Machu Picchu, to northern California and its redwood trees, and beyond. She appreciated nature, including the animals of the Serengeti, though not even the lions she photographed could top her enjoyment of her boxer pups.
On October 17, 2024, Susan married Charles Shapley. Charles and Susan posted on their wedding website, “May God bless us and the lives we touch.” Susan touched many lives, and she cultivated and treasured her relationships. She deeply loved her parents and visiting them on the family farm. In her everyday life, she created rich interactions and memories for those who spent time with her. She was intelligent, faithful, caring, and loving.
Susan cherished Charles. She called him her backbone. At their wedding reception, she sang “Moon River” to him: “There’s such a lot of world to see. We’re after the same rainbow’s end . . .” Susan had faith that this life, though a gift and worth living fully, is not the end.
Susan is survived by her husband, Charles Shapley, San Diego, CA; her step-daughter, Savannah (Mike) Ortega, San Diego, CA; her mother, Theresa Knier, Saint Cloud, MN; eight brothers and sisters including Frank (Mary) Knier, Fargo, ND; Jeanne Knier, Navarre, FL; Mary (Randy) Weber, Ashland City, TN; Dan (Barb) Knier, Waite Park, MN; Chuck Knier, Bloomington, MN; Tom (Lisa) Knier, Burnsville, MN; Lisa Knier, Plymouth, MN; and Paul (Julie) Knier, Big Lake, MN; and 19 nieces and nephews.
Susan was preceded in death by her grandparents; her father, Clifford; her brother, James; and her nephew, Benjamin.
Services will be on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church in La Jolla, with Visitation at 10:00am and Funeral Mass at 11:00am. Livestream link: https://marystarlajolla.org/live-stream/ Lunch to follow.
There will be a Celebration of Life on Sunday, July 20, 2025 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at Coyote Moon Grille, 480 55th Ave SE, St Cloud, MN 56304.
Memorials may be sent to Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church or Compassion Institute.