Susan Lynn Brown Otto

The Brown and Otto families of Kenoza Lake and Bethel sadly announce the death of Susan Brown Otto. After receiving a diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer in late September, Susan succumbed to this illness on November 16, 2025.

Born April 28, 1957, Susan was the firstborn child of her parents, Marguerite and Robert Brown. Raised on the family’s dairy farm in Kenoza Lake with her three siblings, she attended JYCS where she was active in marching band, cheerleading, and student council. Susan was crowned Sullivan County’s Dairy Princess in 1974 and later was named to serve as alternate New York State Dairy Princess.

After graduating from JYCS in 1975, Susan attended the University of Scranton, where she received a B.S. in Accounting in 1979. Upon graduation, she joined Price Waterhouse’s office in New York City and became a certified public accountant in her mid-twenties. Her work at Price Waterhouse included serving in Paris, Geneva, and Brussels. Paris was her favorite work assignment. Later she returned to the US and joined the accounting firm of Arthur Anderson, serving their Manhattan and Los Angeles offices. She started International Tax Advisory Services business in 2002, an accounting practice that focused on preparing complex income tax returns for US citizens who worked outside of the country. Her expertise in international tax matters was sought by fellow accountants. Susan served as a speaker at seminars sponsored by the New York State Society of CPAs, an organization of which she was an active member, and appeared on Fox News as an authority on international tax law.

Susan moved back to Sullivan County in 2003, where she shared her passion for the unique joys of living in the country through her weekly Kenoza Lake News column in The Sullivan County Democrat. Years after she served in her Dairy Princess role, Susan promoted family farms and farming in her column, as well as regularly featured nature notes, such as the arrival of hummingbirds in spring and their migration south in the fall. So many fans of the column enjoyed reading it because of the wide-ranging topics, like highlighting the Native American tribal name of each month’s moon, promoting local events and small businesses, and alerting residents to the arrival of the whitetail deer rut. Susan was also a perennial newshound and would often submit scoops to The Democrat.

Later in life, Susan fell in love with longtime family friend, Raymond Otto; they married in June of 2007. Together they made a beautiful and loving home on Pucky Huddle Road in Bethel where they enjoyed feeding birds, deer, and turkeys; planting chestnut trees; and observing bears who explored their back porch. One summer, they raised an orphan raccoon kit, Rudy, and later released him back into the wild, but he often returned to visit them. Dedicated baseball fans, Ray and Susan split their support across two teams: Ray for the Yankees, Susan for the Mets. Both were active members of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the Iroquois Club where they shared their volunteer spirit by supporting the activities of these two local organizations. In the summer, Susan ran in local 5K events and kayaked.

Her passion for local politics and volunteering took many forms; Susan served on the Town of Bethel’s planning commission for several years. Most recently, she volunteered as the secretary of Sullivan County Republican Committee. Susan’s strong support of candidates was demonstrated by action. She got candidate petitions signed, distributed and displayed campaign signs, submitted letters of support for candidates to The Democrat, and accompanied out-of-town candidates to local events so she could introduce them to local voters. Susan was recently re-elected to serve as the Town of Bethel tax collector.

As an active member of the Kenoza Lake United Methodist Church, Susan served as the church organist, organizing choral performances for the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and at Bethel Woods in December. Through the Women’s Group, she helped raise money for her church by coordinating a Krispy Kreme donut sale on Election Day.

Another focus area of support was encouraging youth in her community. She appeared as a speaker for Sullivan County Community College Business Department to promote the accounting profession. For many years, she served as the coordinator for Kenoza Lake’s participation in the Sullivan Renaissance grant program. In this role, she enlisted local youth to participate in community beautification projects, making them eligible for Renaissance program college scholarships.

Susan’s genuine concern and interest in others shown through her interaction with all people. Her beauty, smile, and outgoing nature lit up all rooms that she entered. Pearls did not live hidden in a jewelry box to wear only on special occasions. Instead, pearls were featured often, even while dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. Red was her favorite color to wear, and a beret was this former Parisian’s favorite winter hat.

In addition to her husband, Raymond, Susan is survived by her mother Marguerite of Kenoza Lake; her brother Tom Brown and wife Donna; her sister Ginny Davis; her sister Nancy and husband Edwin Neumann; her stepdaughter Michelle Swan and husband Mike; her sister-in-law, Sandy Scaramuzzo and husband Joe. Susan was a beloved aunt to Kate, Jesse, and Alex Brown; Gordon and Sarah Davis; Ed, Bob, and Janine Neumann; and Denise and Joe Scaramuzzo; as well as a dear great auntie to Maya, Roman, Luke, Scott, Emily, Kayce, Charlotte, Emmalyn, Garrison, Sandra, and Samantha. She was predeceased by her father, Robert Brown; stepson, Joseph Otto; mother-in-law, Florence Otto Brown; and brother-in-law, G. Michael Davis.

Calling hours will be held on Friday, November 21, from 6-9 PM at the Harris Funeral Home, West St. at Buckley, Liberty, NY. Funeral services will be held at the Kenoza Lake United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 10 AM. Burial in the Kenoza Lake Cemetery will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Kenoza Lake United Methodist Church and be sent to Linda Tyler, Church Financial Secretary, c/o 408 Burr Road, Cochecton, NY 12726.

The Browns and Ottos wish to thank all of their friends, family, and neighbors who have supported Susan and our families during Susan’s illness.