Susan Kathleen Gade

Susan Kathleen (Winters) Gade, 64, of Norman, died at home Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, after a battle with cancer that spanned the final 13 years of her life.

She was born August 13, 1961, the daughter of James Winters and Mary (Sokasitsch) Winters, in Chicago, IL. 

Susan was a landscape architect, teacher, mother, grandmotherand wife, also an accomplished artist. Her family was central to her life. She died with her children and husband at her bedside.

She held a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the School of Environmental Science at Syracuse University, NY. Her bachelor’s degrees were biology and art from Clark University, Dubuque, Iowa. She graduated from Queen of Peace High School, Burbank, IL.

She loved nature and the outdoors. She shared this love with her family. Camping trips took them from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean and northern Ontario, Canada. Walking through the forest with Susan was a real treat … and learning experience. She knew the name of nearly every plant and tree, its genus or species, and its Latin name. 

Susan’s professional designs were guided by the aesthetics of natural landscapes and their uses as public and private spaces. In the 1990s, she was the landscape designer for several prominent spaces in the Southern Tier of New York State. She designed the landscape for the corporate headquarters of Corning, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, including its world-famous Corning Museum of Glass. She also designed the public space adjacent to the Langdon family burial plot, where Mark Twain is buried in Woodlawn National Cemetery, Elmira, NY. These landscape designs remain today.   

In the 2000s, Susan was a Girl Scout leader for Noble, OK, Troop 303, guiding the girls through several stages of scouting. She was a creative leader, planning fun activities and learning experiences. She also served her community, volunteering as a reading tutor, library aide, and PTA officer in Noble Public Schools. 

She taught for the Center for English as a Second Language at the University of Oklahoma for five years, teaching primarily international graduate students conversational English and discipline-specific language skills.

After her first bout with cancer, Susan returned to Noble Public Schools as a teaching assistant and reading tutor. Her primary focus was tutoring 1st and 2nd grade reading skills. She was thrilled to see her students’ progress. She retired after cancer returned in 2019.

Above the hearth in the Gade home is a wood-carving with the word, Gather, artistically inscribed in large cursive letters. Susan was most happy when her family was together. She was at the center of everything the family did, planning events, celebrations, meals, etc. She lived to see both her children grow, marry and become parents themselves. Susan’s greatest joy in her final years was seeing two grandchildren born, and spending time with them in her home.

She is survived by her husband of 35 years, Peter Gade, her mother Mary Winters, of Red Bud, IL; brother, James Winters, of Springfield, IL; children, Emma (Gade) Moskowitz, of Norman, OK, and Joseph Gade, of Lexington, OK; and grandchildren, Pennelope Gade and Julian Moskowitz.

She is also survived by son-in-law Nolan Moskowitz, and daughter-in-law Melina (Robbins) Gade.

A Celebration of Life will be held 2-4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 1 at Thunderbird Chapel, 11395 Route 9, Norman.  

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