Susan Kanitz had been a fixture around the lake and the RLCA Board for so many years that selling her cottage two years ago caught many Ravens by surprise. Understandable, perhaps, since husband Gil had passed away several years before and managing a cottage alone is no easy task, but still... after all, the Kanitz family has been a mainstay on the lake since the late 1950s.

Susan’s ready smile and easy laugh put everyone at ease, be that at the landing, regatta, AGM or, if you were really lucky, on Mona Bay for some Kanitz fine dining. She and Gil loved to entertain, to cruise the lake at sunset, and while Gil spent his summers building additions, docks and stock-piling firewood, Susan found multiple ways to engage with the lake community. An inspiring teacher by profession (I know; I worked with both Susan and Gil) and avid canoeist and nature lover by avocation, she served as RLCA secretary during the critical Lake Planning years. Her work there, like everything she did, was exemplary. While preferring to keep out of the limelight, she was willing to step forward and speak up as needed. Considerate, generous, patient and a clear thinker in all matters, she instilled in her family the fine art of Raven cottaging. It is difficult to imagine Raven Lake without her and her family.

We lost Susan in June after a difficult year. Daughter Hilary wanted to let everyone who helped the Kanitz family carry on cottaging in Gil’s absence know how much Susan appreciated their help. Such was Susan, the consummate giver, always surprised by kindnesses offered her. Raven Lake says thank you, Susan, one last time and extends its most sincere condolences to your family.

     – Harry Wilson