Suzanne P. (Painter) Welsh

Suzanne P. Welsh, 71, died on February 28, 2025, of pancreatic cancer, surrounded by her family. Suzanne, or Suzie to her family, was a 45-year resident of Swarthmore. She grew up in Havertown, Pennsylvania, where she was valedictorian of her class at Haverford High School.  She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Delaware and received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1976.  After working in private industry for six years, she joined the treasurer’s staff at Swarthmore College in 1983.  She later rose to become Vice President of Finance at the College before retiring in 2015. During that time, Suzie and her husband Bob, raised their family of four children and became embedded in the community.

While working at Swarthmore, she helped the College navigate the ups and downs of the economy and enjoyed the intellectual and personal connections she made with faculty, staff, and students from throughout the world.

As a grandmother of ten children, ranging in age from 5 weeks to 10 years old, and spanning Philadelphia to Boston to Denver, she was the ultimate sport: her adventures included visits to all the local zoos, aquariums, water parks and science museums. She offered endless support to her children, taking over full-time childcare duties when they had busy periods at work, and child - free vacation plans.

Post retirement, she continued to serve the community with her financial and asset management skills.  She served on many boards that were dear to her heart - the Investment Committee of the William Penn Foundation (2008 to 2024) and Chair for the last four years of her tenure, the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (2016 to 2024) and Chair of that Board’s Investment Committee, the Investment Committee of Swarthmore College (2016 to 2024), and the Board of the Foundation for Delaware County.  She also kept a foot in private industry, serving on the board of a publicly traded mutual fund from 2008 to 2024. She was a member of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church and selected to be a church elder.

An intrepid adventurer, she enjoyed vacations and foreign travel with her family, visiting Italy, France, England, Ireland, Croatia, Poland, Argentina, and China accompanied by her husband and children.

Suzie is survived by her husband of 45 years Robert (Bob) E. Welsh and four adult children: Emily Gottenborg (Drew) of Denver, Colorado; Liza Pingree (Tim) of Boston, Massachusetts; Mary Bostick (Andrew) of Narberth, Pennsylvania and Joseph Welsh (Rachel) of Philadelphia; and ten grandchildren. Survivors also include brother John Painter (Gale) of West Chester and sister Sally Saello (Michael) of Coatesville.

A service will be held on March 15th at 11 AM, at the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, located at 727 Harvard Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081. We will follow with a reception at Tarble Hall on the Swarthmore College campus, from 12 – 3PM.