Susan B. Filip

Susan Burckhardt Filip of La Center, Washington died peacefully on March 29, 2025 at the age of 54 after a brief illness. She was born on June 3, 1970 in San Diego, California to parents William August Burckhardt III and Carol Ann Sorkness while her father was serving in the US Navy. At the age of one the family moved to Denver, Colorado. She loved hiking with her parents in the Rocky mountains carrying her own daypack from the age of four. At twelve she moved with her mother to Portland, Oregon where she graduated from Lincoln High School in 1988. She spent her junior year of high school as an exchange student in Norway. After high school she attended the University of Oregon majoring in economics and political science. Following graduation in 1992, she went on to law school at Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law graduating in 1995. She passed the Oregon Bar on her first try and then took accounting classes at Portland State University earning her CPA two years later. While working for an accounting firm in Portland she met her future husband, Robert Filip. They were married in 1998 and in 2002 welcomed a son, Nicholas. The family moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington where Susan continued her career in international tax law with major companies in Seattle. She had a passion for travel and visited over 35 countries either for work or with her family. Her favorite country was Japan to which she returned many times. Her work colleagues have described her as a leader and mentor who cared deeply about helping her younger colleagues learn and grow. She was calm, patient, dedicated to her work. Her friends spoke of her as kind, warm, intelligent, and curious. To her family she was loving, devoted, generous, with a beautiful smile, boundless energy and always ready for new experiences. She had the soul of a seeker whose spiritual journey was just beginning. Susan is survived by her son, Nicholas, her mother, Carol and her ex-husband, Bob. She is also survived by her step-mother, Linda Eddy, her step-brother, Andrew, her step sisters, Crystal and Tani, and her special friend, Dylan Honnold. A celebration of Susan's life is planned for later this summer.

Susan B. Filip

June 3, 1970 - March 29, 2025