Susan Reed Pecastaing Miller

Susan Reed Pecastaing Miller, 78, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the University of New Mexico Hospital, surrounded by her family and close friends.

Susan was born on March 20, 1948, in Denver, Colorado, the second child of the late James Franklin Reed and Mary Lou Reed, of Kansas and North Carolina, respectively. She was preceded in death by her beloved brother and best friend, Michael A. Reed of Garden City, Kansas, who passed away in 2024.

Susan lived a life marked by an extraordinary devotion to her family, an insatiable love of learning, a passion for education, and a fierce commitment to helping others find their own strength and potential. A scholar at heart, Susan possessed an extraordinary intellect and an almost boundless curiosity about the world. She earned multiple master's degrees in literature and science, reflecting both the breadth of her interests and her lifelong belief that education was not simply a means to a career, but a way of understanding and engaging more deeply with life. 

She was an avid reader and a true cinephile, with a remarkable ability to bring intelligence, insight, and thoughtful conversation to virtually any subject. Education was also central to Susan's professional life. She began her teaching career as a substitute teacher and eventually joined the faculty at Polk Middle School, where she taught and encouraged students in science and technology. She had a particular gift for recognizing the potential in young people and encouraging them to reach beyond what they thought they could accomplish. For Susan, teaching was never merely a profession; it was a calling.

Susan was also a relentless and passionate advocate for women's athletics. Throughout her life, she participated in and coached numerous women's and girls' athletic teams. She believed deeply in the importance of athletic opportunities for women-not only for the joy of competition, but for the confidence, discipline, independence, teamwork, and lifelong friendships that athletics could provide. She encouraged generations of young women to compete, to persevere, and to believe in themselves. Her advocacy for women's athletics was an expression of one of her deepest convictions: that women and girls deserved every opportunity to discover their own abilities and to take their rightful place in the world.

Those who knew Susan will remember her formidable intelligence, her strong opinions, her generosity, her humor, and her willingness to champion the people and causes she believed in. She gave freely of her time, knowledge, and energy, and she was never indifferent when she believed someone needed help or encouragement.

Above all, Susan was devoted to her family. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, and her family remained at the center of her life. She took great pride in the accomplishments of her children and grandchildren and delighted in watching them grow into the people they became.

Susan leaves behind a legacy measured not simply by her academic accomplishments or professional career, but by the countless people she encouraged, taught, coached, challenged, and inspired. Her love of learning, her advocacy for women and girls, her generosity of spirit, and her unwavering devotion to those she loved will live on in the lives of those she touched.

She is survived by her loving family: her daughter, Penny Elena Pecastaing Dudley, and her husband, Don, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; her two grandsons, Owen Donald Dudley, of Boston, Massachusetts, and George Ethan Dudley, of Harrisonburg, Virginia; her son, James Michael Miller, and his wife, Kerianne Donnelly, of New York, New York; her niece, Jennifer Reed, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and her best friend Renee Rivera.

Susan will be deeply missed by her family, friends, former students, fellow athletes, teammates, and all those fortunate enough to have known her.