Susan Carpenter Kinniburgh

Susan C. Kinniburgh, 68, of Groton, MA, peacefully passed away at home on September 1, 2024.

Born in Salem, MA, Sue grew up in Swampscott, MA. During her youth, she attended the Tower School of Marblehead, MA, and was a summer regular at The Beach Club of Swampscott, where she excelled as a tennis player. She was on the mixed doubles championship team one season, proving her power and finesse on the tennis court.

Sue attended the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA, for her high school years, graduating in 1974. Following high school, she attended UVM, then transferred to Wheelock College in Boston, MA, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in education. She later earned her master’s degree at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.

Sue’s career in teaching spanned more than 30 years. Teaching elementary and middle school students was a passion that never faded for Sue throughout her career. She first began teaching in the Boston public schools, followed by two years in Greenwich, CT. After returning to the Boston area, she taught at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Belmont Day School in Belmont, and the Sanborn Middle School in Concord, where she was a special education teacher for over 20 years before retiring in 2014.

Sue was a longtime resident of Littleton, MA, where she raised her two sons, Andrew and Ian. Along with being a loving and devoted mom to her two boys, Sue took great care in nurturing her outdoor gardens of flowers and plants during the summer season. Indoors, her home was filled with greenery throughout the year.

A resident of Groton, MA for the past ten years, Sue volunteered many hours for the Groton Garden Club, where she worked on beautification projects, helping to maintain and expand green spaces throughout the town.

For the past several years, Sue had been “mom” to Jesse, a rescued racing greyhound. They brought great joy to each other’s lives, going for long walks every day, followed by relaxing and napping at home. Jesse also made the annual trip to Florida each winter, where Sue and her partner Bruce enjoyed the sun and warmer temperatures of the Sarasota area.

Sue will be greatly missed by family and many friends. She leaves behind her son, Andrew Kinniburgh, and his wife, Katie, of Townsend, MA; her sister, Carol Carpenter, and her partner, Nancy Rice, of Portsmouth, NH; her partner, Bruce Ressler, of Groton, MA; Bruce’s children, Steph and Hope Ressler; her nephew Will Carpenter, and his wife Sarah, along with their newborn son Terry, of Asheville NC; her niece Sarah Carpenter, of Longmont CO; her sister-in-law Laurie Carpenter, of Essex MA; and her former husband David Kinniburgh, of Acton MA. She was predeceased by her parents, William and Judy Carpenter, of Swampscott, MA; her son Ian Kinniburgh, of Littleton, MA; and her brother Terry Carpenter, of Essex, MA. 

Services will be private.

Those wishing to donate in Sue’s memory should consider either Fast Friends at www.helpinggreyhounds.org, or Groton Garden Club at www.grotongardenclub.org