Susan Lee Conaway

Susan Lee Conaway

Memorial Service: 2PM Saturday, March 5th, 2022 at Summit Worship Center, Wasilla

Susan Conaway, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully at her home on Saturday, February 26th, 2022 in Wasilla, Alaska after suffering with Alzheimer’s for several years.

Susan Lee Mastrude was born on June 2, 1949 in Portland, Oregon to Lorraine and Jack Mastrude. She and her family moved to Alaska in 1954 and her love for the beauty of Alaska began while living off of the Knik River. Susan enjoyed riding her horse Rusty, working on a gold mine with her dad and singing in church.

She met the love of her life, Billy Conaway, in 1965, Wednesday night at the Wasilla Assembly of God church service, where she sang a solo. They married in August of 1967. Soon after their marriage they spent two years in Springfield, MO where they both attended Evangel College and then returned to Alaska to begin raising their three children. Susan returned with her family years later to Springfield to complete her psychology degree. While living in Springfield, she wholeheartedly became an integral part of church life at the Central Assembly of God with her family. She worked at the Good Samaritan’s Boys Ranch and in 2005, Susan returned with Bill to their beloved state and soon became a treasured member at Summit Worship Center.

Susan never met a person she wouldn’t extend a hand of friendship to or pray with. She volunteered teaching adult literacy and English as a Second Language. She also volunteered with rape crises hotlines in both Missouri and Alaska. She loved to laugh, bake bread, take sermon notes using Gregg shorthand and live off the land with her husband and children. Susan loved her final job at Mat-Su Health Services, which exemplified her lifelong commitment to others: she provided her clients the helping hand they needed, shopping with them, ferrying them all over the community, and advocating for each one to live with dignity and pride. She prayed for them just as much as she prayed for her family.

Susan is survived by her husband of 54 years, Billy Ray Conaway; son, Franklin and his wife Kaci, of Wasilla, AK; son, David and his wife Christy, of Springfield, MO; daughter, Rapture and her husband Bracy Hill of Hubbard, TX; grandchildren, Daniel DiNardo, Jason Conaway, Angel Conaway, Caleb Conaway, Joshua Conaway, Elijah Conaway; cousins, Rick Harrington and his wife Kathy of Palmer AK, and Alice Kruse of California; as well as loved sisters-in-law Bonnie Hanson and Connie Conaway.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lorraine Violet Harrington Call and Jack Raymond Mastrude; cousin, David Harrington; sister-in-law Lola Smith and grandson Gabriel Conaway.

There will be a memorial service held on March 5th, 2pm, at Summit Worship Center at 125 West Riley Ave, Wasilla, AK, officiated by Pastor Milton Michener. Any contributions on behalf of Susan can be made to the Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska at https://www.alzalaska.org.