Wasilla resident Mrs. Susan Gayhart Bancroft Scheel, 65, died peacefully in her home May 31, 2004.

A memorial service will be held at the First Lutheran Church in Ketchikan on June 23 at 1 p.m., with Rev. Dawn Allen-Herron officiating.

Mrs. Scheel was born June 23, 1938, in San Diego, Calif.

She moved to Alaska with her husband, Mike, in 1978. They lived in Ketchikan until 2002, when they moved to Wasilla.

Mrs. Scheel attended San Diego Community College, graduating with an associate of arts degree in childhood development. In San Diego, she worked at Rocking Horse Ranch and then opened a day care facility. She operated a successful day care facility in Ketchikan from 1981 to 2001.

Mrs. Scheel was born and raised in San Diego and she loved to ride horses, camp and hike in the Southern California mountains. In Alaska, she loved watching the moose and birds and taking care of her pet bunnies and her dog on her 15-acre property north of Wasilla. She also loved the panoramic views of Pioneer Peak and oil painting.

Her interests also included being actively involved in the art community, and she coordinated entries into the Alaska Southeast State Fair in Haines for many years. She was an accomplished pianist and violist. For many years she played viola in the Ketchikan Community Orchestra, until she was disabled by arthritis.

Her family wrote, "Susan was especially talented when working with developmentally disabled children. She helped many children who were autistic or deaf. Susan's greatest talent was providing a safe, wholesome environment for the care and development of young children so working mothers would make a livelihood without worry. She was loved by many, and will be missed."

Mrs. Scheel is survived by her husband, Michael Scheel; and daughter, Hannsine Joy Theodora Scheel.

Arrangements were made by Valley Funeral Home & Crematory in Wasilla.