Susan Patterson, 87, of Cold Spring, died April 28 at her home.
She was born on June 30, 1933, in Cold Spring, the daughter of Robert and Margaret (Winchester) Patterson. Her father was undersecretary of war under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1940 to 1945 and the secretary of war under President Harry S. Truman from 1945 to 1947.
After graduating from the Chapin School and Harvard University, Susan lived in Washington, D.C., New York City, Brussels and Paris before returning to Cold Spring. With her husband of 40 years, Leigh Seippel, she visited more than 40 countries, often skiing, horse riding and fishing between capital city visits.
Her stepson, Alexander Seippel, daughter-in-law Mirka Seippel and their daughters Alzbeta and Imogen also pulled Susan and Leigh into extended residences in London and on the French Riviera.
Susan was a protocol coordinator for JP Morgan Bank and a development officer of Harvard University, the New York Public Library and the Institute of International Education. She was a board director of the Harvard Club of New York, of a branch of the Audubon Society and of the historic house conservancy Boscobel Restoration, which bordered her Cold Spring home. Susan was a longtime member of the Harvard Club of New York and the Colony Club in Manhattan.
