The TV Tech family suffered a tragic loss in December with the passing of Susan Ashworth Bader. “Susie,” as she was known to everyone who knew and loved her, was the editor in chief of TV Tech in the late ’90s until 2001 when I succeeded her.
It wasn’t easy following in Susie’s footsteps. She was loved and respected by her peers both in the TV Tech community and in the industry as a whole. After she moved to the West Coast to focus on her family, Susie continued to write for us (as well as our sister brands Radio World and the NAB Show Daily) right up until this past fall.
When Susie’s husband Rob died last spring, it was not only a devastating loss to her and her three children, but to her friends who knew her. With Susie’s passing, her three children have now lost both parents in one year, something that is too cruel to consider.
Although we were on separate coasts, I always looked forward to seeing Susie at the annual NAB Show where we would catch up on what was going on in each other’s lives the previous 12 months. Susie was among the most conscientious, generous and sweetest persons I ever had the privilege of knowing and working with—something that just about anyone who she touched with her kindness already knows.
Susie and I were in continuous contact throughout the fall as we collaborated on her latest article for TV Tech. However, when I came upon her last email to me in early November, it had nothing to do with work. She had heard about the mass shooting in my home state of Maine and had emailed me to see if my family was alright. That was Susie to a T—always putting her family and friends first.
My colleague Paul McLane, editor in chief of TV Tech sister brand Radio World, perhaps put it best when we were notified about her passing by her brother George:
“There are few people whose very entrance into a room can make the gathering a sunnier and happier one. That was Susie, walking into our [NAB Show Daily] newsroom in Las Vegas on any given April. There are few people who will ask others how they’re doing and really want to hear the answer and listen. That was Susie every day.
“There are few people whose loss tears at the heart like hers does.
“But you know all this, from the words you used in your own email: Glowing. Camaraderie. Sincerity. Kindness. Sweet compassion. Maybe sweet compassion, most of all.”
As we honor the passing of a great friend, we’re also very cognizant of the financial burden this places on the family. If you would like to help out, please make a donation at the “Susie Ashworth & Rob Bader Memorial Fund” at gofundme.com.
Susie touched a great many lives during her life and will be greatly missed.
