Ivins, Utah - Susan Marie (Studley) Holben, 69, passed away on April 5, 2025, after a long battle with lung cancer. She was born on October 3, 1955, in Holt, Michigan, to parents Loretta (Kidder) and Duane Studley. Susan married Alan Holben on September 25, 1993, in Grand Ledge, Michigan, on the riverboat Princess Laura.

Susan graduated from Holt High School in 1973 where she was a member of the choir and the art club. She briefly attended Lansing Community College before working at Michigan Millers and Michigan State University. In 1978 she began a long career working for the State of Michigan, most recently in Economic Development, from which she retired in 2015.

With her dear friend and co-worker, Jan Fedewa, Susan developed a home makeover business called The Recycled Interior. She and Jan used the homeowner's existing furniture and art in creative new layouts.

In the fall of 2009, Susan and Alan visited Utah for the first time. Both fell in love with the southwest part of the state and, immediately after returning home, began planning to move there upon retirement.

While always artistic and creative, Susan really blossomed after moving to Utah in 2016. Once there, she was introduced to the palette knife technique for painting with oils. This method perfectly complemented the stunning vistas in southwestern Utah, particularly the red rock for which this area is so well known. The palette knife allowed her to create textures on canvas that added depth and dimension to her paintings. Represented by Gallery 873 in Kayenta, her paintings have been very popular and many homes in the area have one or more of her pieces. Towards the end of her life, she felt the need to try something new and began to create in clay.

Among Susan's hobbies and interests were travelling, hiking, fine dining, and a nice glass of pinot noir. Favorite vacations included several trips to Santa Fe; twice to Italy; a week of BBQ joints in Texas; and a driving trip along the coast from Maine to Boston. Most trips were planned for the sights and the restaurants; she always favored brew pubs for their distinctive food and beer. Susan was also a huge fan of the Indianapolis 500 and she set aside that Sunday in May every year for watching the race. She also became a fan of NASCAR racing, with Michigan native Brad Keselowski as her favorite driver.

For someone who swore never to have another dog, Susan somehow ended up with three large dogs at one time: Cody, Casey, and Mikey. While she loved all the dogs in her life, Mikey and Susan shared a special bond; he was absolutely devoted to her. And Stetson joined her household shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer. He provided great comfort to Susan and really enjoyed snuggling in bed with her.

Susan dearly loved all her grandchildren. Her one regret with moving to Utah was being so far away from them, but she made many trips back to Michigan for extended visits. And they enjoyed coming to Utah to visit on a regular basis. Susan was always excited to share the beauty of southwest Utah with them.

She is survived by husband Alan and dog Stetson in Ivins, UT; son Shawn & Jillian (Reinecke) Finn in Williamston, MI; daughter Jennifer & Matthew King in Mason, MI; grandchildren Ryan King, Devlin King, Addison Finn, Aubrey Finn, and Harper Finn; brother Dennis & Patty (Noorman) Studley in Holt, MI. Susan was preceded in death by her sister Cheryl Ann Studley, and parents Loretta and Duane Studley.

Susan's family would like to thank Dr. Ryan Wilcox and all the nurses and staff at the Intermountain Oncology department; Stacy Sumpter, DNP-C, at One Health / Dixie Primary Care; all the staff at Applegate Homecare and Hospice; Dr. Wallace Akerley and The Huntsman Cancer Institute; all the doctors and nurses at Intermountain Health. We also want to thank all the friends, neighbors, fellow artists, and family for their amazing generosity and support. Finally, Myrna Pettengill - words can't begin to express our thanks for the countless times you selflessly helped Susan through her battle with cancer, whether it was a ride somewhere, sitting by her side during treatment, or watching our dog; anything we needed, often at a moment's notice.

There will be no formal service. Susan's wishes were to have her ashes scattered both in Utah and Michigan.

Arrangements were made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary. 110 South Bluff Street, St. George, Utah 84770. 435-673-2454. Friends and family are invited to sign Susan's online guest book at www.SpilsburyMortuary.com.