Susan Chase

                                                                                 Susan Nattrass Chase

                                                                        March 9, 1944 – February 8, 2026

Susan Chase, 81, passed away peacefully on February 8, 2026, following a long courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. Her love of family was her foundation. Known for her beautiful smile and kind personality she had a life well lived.

Born March 9, 1944, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Robert and Mary Cole Nattrass. After living in New Jersey, she along with her parents and three sisters moved to Bluefield West Virginia and eventually landed in Coral Gables, Florida. She never felt that Miami was home so after high school graduation, she and her best friend, Judy moved to Virginia and attended Radford College (University). It was in college that she met the love of her life, a young man from Virginia Tech. She met Joe at a dance as the men from Virginia Tech were bused to the all-women’s college at Radford to participate. After Joe’s graduation from Virginia Tech, they married in Coral Gables, Florida in 1964. Joe’s first job landed them in Charleston, West Virginia where their daughter Lori was born. Each new job brought them back to various towns in southwest Virginia. Their son, Brian, was born in Radford, Virginia. They resided in Pulaski, Wise, Bland, Clintwood, Abingdon and Christiansburg.

Susan dedicated her life to teaching elementary school in Southwest Virginia. She had a passion for the underserved children she taught and brought a strict but loving philosophy into the classroom. She was a member of the United Methodist Church, most recently a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. She loved being a member of the church, singing in the choir, participating in women’s groups and being an active member of the congregation.

Susan was a dedicated mother and grandmother. While working full-time and being a wife and mother to two children, she always had a homecooked meal on the table every night. She rarely complained and took joy in the small pleasures of life. Her greatest joy however was the love of her three grandchildren, Connor, Lauren and Amber. She would talk about her grandchildren to anyone willing to listen. She knew the importance of reading and loved to read to them. She attended many basketball and football games along with swimming meets and cheerleading competitions to support her grandchildren.

She loved to travel with Joe. She traveled across the United States including Alaska and made trips to New Zealand, Australia, Rome, Naples, and numerous other European cities. After her diagnosis she and Joe made one final trip to Portugal with her sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Charlie. While she loved traveling, the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and being home was what brought her the most peace and comfort.

Susan is survived by her husband of 62 years, Joseph Chase of Christiansburg, her daughter Lori and husband Grady Baker of Roanoke; her son Brian and wife Olivia Chase of Richmond; grandson Connor and wife Molly Baker of Richmond; granddaughter Lauren and husband Tyler Erickson of Richmond and granddaughter Amber Chase and fiancé Grant Leonard of Richmond. Also surviving are Susan’s three sisters, Nancy Warren and husband Dr. Charles Warren of Blacksburg: Barbara Anderson and partner Carl Ramey of Atlanta, Georgia and Robin Racoff of Atlanta, Georgia along with sister-in-law Kim Chase of Wytheville, Virginia. In addition, Susan is survived by many nieces and nephews and their families.

A memorial service and Celebration of Susan’s life will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026 with visitation from 1:00-2:00 and the service beginning at 2:00 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia.

The family would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the staff at Commonwealth Senior Living at Christiansburg who lovingly cared for Susan for four years. Lori and Brian also want to acknowledge the loving dedication of their dad who ensured mom’s comfort and health as her advocate while in Memory Care.