Susannah Sandow Carlsen (1982 – 2025)

Susannah Sandow Carlsen, a woman whose laugh could fill a room and whose heart was firmly planted in the city of Oakland, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2025, at 5:34 AM. She was 43.

A Life in Motion

Born Susannah Jean Sandow in Mountain View, CA, Susannah’s early years were a journey across much of America. She was a joyful child in North Carolina, a brief resident of New Hampshire, and a middle-schooler in Oregon. By high school, she was in San Diego, where she lent her voice to the elite Madrigals choir at Rancho Bernardo High, traveling and performing with a talent that would later define her academic pursuits.

In 2000, she returned to her Bay Area roots to attend the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music, a foundation that supported a lifetime of creative exploration.

A Career of Connection and Creativity

Susannah’s professional path was as eclectic and colorful as her personality. She worked for the briefly for Chez Panisse in Berkeley, then for the American Heart Association. Later she designed websites, and navigated the world of real estate. However, her true north was always community and art.

As a board member for the Friends of Dimond Park, Susannah was a tireless advocate for her neighborhood. She loved Oakland deeply and spent her life thinking of ways to lift up her city and the people within it.

Her "superpower" was her humor. Susannah possessed a open and very inclusive sense of humor that could find the light in any situation and, more importantly, draw that light out of others. To hear her laugh—her unmistakable signature—was to know that everything was going to be alright.

Art and Authorship

Susannah was a dedicated creator. Her proudest achievements remain a testament to her imagination:

• The musical album "Champagne Tea Party," recorded with friends.

• The comic "The Loneliest Spacegirl," published online and then in physical form as a book.

• The baby shower game "Fun in the Oven," co-created with her husband, Brian.

At the time of her passing, she was developing "House Story," a digital project merging her love of real estate history with personal nostalgia. She was mid-collaboration with Brian on a children’s book, "Cover Coveter." Though she often lamented she should have majored in Art rather than Music, she spent her final years closing that gap, building a portfolio at local community colleges and discovering a surprising, newfound love for watercolors.

Love and Legacy (S ♥ B)

On October 24, 2015, Susannah married Brian Carlsen in Bodega Bay and honeymooned in Uruguay and Argentina (where they walked on a glacier!). Over ten happy years together, they traveled the world, exploring new cultures and documenting their adventures with Susannah’s characteristic flair on social media. Brian was her partner in every sense—in travel, in business, and in life.

Susannah is survived by her husband, Brian; her mother, Jeane; her grandmother, Edith; her sister, Laura’ and her cousins, Gabe and Andy.

She will never be forgotten and she will be missed by those who love her for as long as any of them are alive.