Tributes From Her Daughters

Wendy Clickner Prescott

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." - Thomas Campbell

I share a tribute to the life of my best friend, my mom.

Susan Doreen Fisher Clickner, 86, (2 weeks away from her 87th birthday) died at home with me of breast cancer. She is survived by her daughter Karen Clickner of Holden, Ma., her daughter Jennifer Engel, husband Raphael, and their son Tristan (Susan's youngest grandchild) of Geneva, Switzerland, I, her daughter Wendy Prescott whom Susan lived with in Shrewsbury, Ma., her granddaughter Rachel Hudson and husband Steele of West Boylston, Ma., and her grandson Josh Prescott and wife Ashley of Shrewsbury, Ma. She was predeceased by her parents Kenneth H. Fisher and Doris L. Glunz.

Susan was born in Buffalo, N.Y, and spent her childhood moving from town to town, due to her dads work. She always wanted to live in one place for a long span of time. She knew from an early age that singing would become her life, as she was already performing around New York state before graduating from Watertown high school in 1951. Having only been at that school 2 years, she was an active student. She was on a literary board, and was the vice president of the Latin and French clubs. She was a registered member of the daughters of the American Revolution, although never followed in their conservative (at that time) footsteps. She was a graduate of Indiana University in Music and toured the country performing. Then she was accepted into the elite Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia to obtain her Artists Diploma. It is one of the most selective institutes of higher education in the world. She won the Philadelphia young artists competion with the Philadelphia orchestra, and was featured on television premiering several operas as the soloist.

After graduation, she went back home to upstate NY to get married and start a family. Years later, she relocated as a single mom of 3 girls to Shrewsbury, Massachusetts in 1969, where she would make a home for the remainder of her life. She had recorded with folkways records, was on radio and television, and performed extensively throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. Throughout Europe, she performed in opera houses and theaters with major symphonies, and also appeared in music festivals. She performed in opera, oratorio, chamber music, recital and with orchestra as a mezzo soprano soloist. She was an active member of Pi Kappa Lambda, a music honorary society, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She was a founding faculty member of the Worcester Performing Arts School in Worcester, Ma., taught classical voice privately out of her home, and started the voice department at Clark University in Worcester, Ma., where she worked from 1970 to 1983. She also performed many times at Tanglewood, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Seiji Ozawa, and became a fellow at Tanglewood for several years. Simultaneously, she taught classical voice at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, which is the oldest independent music conservatory in the country, and among the most prestigious in the world. From 1972 to 2005, she taught students at NEC from all over the world, and usually had a lengthy waiting list of people trying to get into her studio. She did workshops and monthly master classes both in and out of school, and judged numerous vocal competitions. She was head of the voice department for most of the 90's. I think the second female to ever hold that position in the schools history. She also sat on the board for a sexual harassment committee that protected students, a faculty steering committee and theory committee. She advocated for several colleagues to negotiate better employment terms, health insurance coverage and wage increases for them.

While teaching at NEC, she was interviewed and featured on a PBS special on television. She is listed on the international Who's Who in music, and is also registered on the American Who's Who in Women. She retired at 72 years old and still corresponded with her students up until her death. Many would call and send letters updating her on their lives, and career highlights. They always gave high praise for the impact she had on their lives not just professionally, but personally. At home, she threw parties for students and faculty, brought stranded students home with us during the holidays, as well as colleagues that were alone for Christmas. She was a second mother to many foreign students away from home, and occasionally she was the sole support for students abandoned by their family after sharing they were gay. Her support was most appreciated during the Aids crisis in the 80's, when she had several students impacted by the disease. Susan kept every correspondence from her students which amounted to boxes and boxes of recital programs, head shots, cassettes, cd's, family photos, holiday cards and hundreds of lengthy letters. Each box full of memories from mentors in the 50's, colleagues and students from the 70's to today. She celebrated their professional and personal successes, often smiling while showing me their new babies or grandchildren, or giving me their letters to read detailing their lives and gratitude to her. I spent her last 3 months reading the ones from the last 20 years to her, so she could be reminded of her impact.

She was a lifelong collector of antiques, etchings, paintings, sculptures, old books with illustrations, children's books, cloissone pieces, pitchers, pottery, ceramics, boxes, baskets and china. She wasn't a multitasker, as we discovered when playing music and making conversation while she was driving...only to end up going down a one way street the wrong way! She always spoke of hearing music in her head 24/7, so I can see how that would be a bit distracting. I'm surprised we all survived that Summer of 78 with Sue at the wheel in her Buick, driving my sisters and I across the country, staying at fabulous historic hotels in the cities, a cabin on the edge of the Grand Canyon, motels across mid west America, and at most of the national parks. We even got stuck in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Empress hotel when the ferries went on strike (no complaints!). But we made it home in one piece, with a lifetime of memories made in that one Summer, eventful indeed... as a few days after we returned, the fire department came to extinguish our Buick that blew up in our driveway. Susan admired a good conversationalist, and appreciated interesting people. She was a lover of fashion, good perfume and bold jewelry.

Music was the foundation of her entire life, but she also loved art, dance, books, wine and was a real foodie with discerning taste. We would easily drive hours to try a well reviewed restaurant. She often said there was nothing better than a restaurant with good food, service and atmosphere. She especially appreciated a well made sidecar and handsome, chatty waiters! She liked some sports, and could be found watching college basketball and occassional Patriots games, but her favorite was figure skating competitions. I credit her for my love of art, music, literature, film, dance, nature, good food, back roads, antique shows, craft fairs, comfy fuzzy things, country stores and Christmas everything!

In her later years, she followed politics daily, and was passionate about her liberalism, support of racial, gender and wage equality, and strongly supported gay rights and marriage, as well as local law enforcement. As upsetting as it was to see what the world had become in many ways, she was so happy to see the new administration at the White House before she passed, and hoped for a better, and less violent future for us all.

Although she traveled all through the US and Europe, her favorite place was always home. Her favorite activity was sharing a great meal at some fabulous restaurant with her family and friends, or to be at home with them playing a game, talking and laughing for hours. Her greatest loves were her family, her cat Bianca, and music.

Beloved by all, forever missed. Susan F. Clickner was truly a remarkable woman, loved her family deeply, and lived a full life!

There will be no service. Contributions can be made by way of supporting the arts in your communities, and voting to protect education, health care, gay rights and racial equality. Live your best life!

Karen Clickner

When I think of my mother, I think of how many ways we are each like her. I look around each of our houses and we decorate exactly the same way, just like Mum did. We each can never have enough books, there is always another gorgeous antique that has caught our eye, we cannot just have music playing in the background, we have to be able to listen to it. My mother’s life was part river life, part big city, part soaring voices. She always claimed she had no sense of humor, but all the children in our family grew up begging for yet another story about Mum that was more entertaining than any movie. There really is nothing more thrilling than sitting in the dark with hundreds of people and watching a woman walk out on the stage to applause and secretly knowing that when you go home, she will be there. We were in awe of her and we were furious with her, we admired her and we rolled our eyes at her.

We loved her…

She lived in a generation of incredible talent, deeply held beliefs and dedication to each aspect of life. She worked just as hard at her music as she did at raising the three of us. She was also a quiet, introverted, shy person who avoided group conversations and sought out personal one on one connections with people. She would have wonderful, cozy parties and would invite all her friends, but you would only find her hard at work in the kitchen. That way she could chat with people one at a time. This was an important reason for her love of teaching … the one on one conversation that singing provides. It also is why everyone who knew her really felt that she gave you all her attention when you were with her, which could be good or it could be difficult.

There are so many lovely and wonderful stories about her singing, her teaching, her music and the wonderful people she met along the way. She really could never believe how lucky she was, but she was very aware that hard work was the only way to bring that luck about. She truly loved every one of her students and always wanted to read out loud to us every letter she received. She never really learned anything about computers and instead treasured the writing of notes, letters and lists. I still remember her calling me up to ask if I would come over and fix the clock on her VCR because it was flashing at her. I would arrive and she would have a washcloth hanging down over the front of the VCR with a heavy book on top to hold it so she didn’t have to look at it until I could change it for her.

My favorite example of my mother’s aversion to anything that smacked of a machine was when she needed to take her car to the garage to be fixed, as it was making a noise. She asked me to follow her so I could bring her back home after dropping off her car. I pulled in the driveway just as she was coming out of the house and got into her car. She started the engine and BOOM… black smoke began billowing out from under the hood of the car. I got out and walked up to her window. She rolled her window down and calmly told me, “see, there really was something wrong with the car!” So I asked her when was the last time she checked the oil in the car. She rolled her eyes and said, “Karen! This isn’t one of those cars, this car uses regular gasoline!”

I will be reminded of her everywhere I go just because of how lovingly she imprinted each of us with the very essence of her. It truly is the end of a remarkable life and I will miss it and her so very deeply.