Susan Carol Bethany

Susan Carol Bethany, age 73, died Feb. 21st, 2025, at her home in Howard, CO. She was born in 1951 in Springfield OH. She and her husband of 42 years, Jerry Scavezze, moved to the Salida area from Denver in January of 1979. Susan was an owner and operator of the famous Jackson Hotel in Poncha Springs, CO. from 1984 to 1992. She was known for her amazing Sunday Brunch and pastries for many of those years.

Already an accomplished goldsmith, she went on to pursue her jewelry profession working with her husband, Jerry Scavezze, and then with Dave Morgan at Antero Jewelers for 15-20 years.

Her sense of community and creative flare led her to volunteer her time with the Colorado Fiber Arts Guild, chaired “Salida Art Walk”, and for years made a monthly 5-gallon pot of homemade soup for the First Lutheran Church of Salida for one of their outreach programs. She was also an integral part of Gallery 150, and the yearly Salida Arts Festival, which she co-owned with her husband Jerry Scavezze.

Later, she worked for the Colorado State Department of Corrections for 10 years, teaching and working alongside inmates in the kitchens, finally retiring in 2019 to enjoy time with her pups, her greenhouse and the lush yard she started from prairie, complete with a water feature she built. In retirement, she loved to cook and was becoming quite a fan of overseas travel and made it to Italy, Spain, Mexico, a number of times, Honduras and Alaska to see the Northern Lights. She’s going to miss the trip planned with her husband Jerry to Budapest and Greece this fall.

She was never afraid to tackle new outdoor adventures, with mountain biking, x/c skiing, windsurfing, and hiking to name a few. She enjoyed kayaking through the mangroves in Florida and on many of our local high mountain lakes. For her 60th birthday she went tandem skydiving in Canon City, twice.

Her humor was sincere and unexpected at times with some friends occasionally being the recipient of a pie-in-the-face at a birthday party compliments of Susan.

Susan was an accomplished entrepreneurial businesswoman, creative master baker, custom jeweler, glorious gardener, and a very caring and compassionate wife, sister, aunt, fur-baby mama and forever friend. She was preceded in death by her father, Victor Bela Bethany and mother Sarah (Sally) M. Menke (Harmon).

She is survived by her husband, Jerry Scavezze of Howard, CO, her fur babies, Stella and Chance, both of Howard, CO., her brother, Bruce Bethany of Cleveland, OH., hundreds of friends across the globe, and a community of brothers and sisters in the studio jewelry world.

There will be a celebration of life at some point in the coming months. Those wishing to send condolences can express their thoughts on Susan’s obituary page at: www.LewisandGlenn.com. 

Planting flowers, growing a pot of herbs, rescuing a fur baby, making a new friend, or just spending a moment in the mountains taking in the beauty are just a few suggestions as to how to honor her in your life. If you feel like donating, in lieu of flowers please donate to your local no kill animal shelter in her name. She would really like that…

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