Tributes

Susan “Susie” Hall Davidson Ravenscroft, 85, of Bryn Mawr, PA, died at Beaumont Retirement Community in Bryn Mawr, on March 19, 2024. She was predeceased by her husband of 43 years, Richard “Dick” Strode Ravenscroft, and her two siblings, brother Philip Marqués Davidson and sister Ana Davidson Thompson. Susan is survived by her three children, son Philip M. Ravenscroft and his wife Jill S. Ravenscroft, daughter Allison M. Van Etten and her husband Douglas Van Etten, and daughter Catherine H. Ravenscroft. Her four grandchildren are Liam M. Ravenscroft, Oliver A. Ravenscroft, Cora S. Ravenscroft, and Eleanor M. Van Etten. Susie was part of the vanguard of businesswomen in the 1960s and 70s, and continued an engaging professional career throughout her life. As a volunteer, her strategic insights and unwavering commitment helped advance the cultural landscape of Philadelphia and the Main Line. Susie graduated from the Baldwin School and Harvard-Radcliffe College. Upon leaving Radcliffe, she was discouraged from pursuing a career in finance and would often lament about being asked about her secretarial skills instead. Determined, she went on to earn an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, one of seven women in the program and graduating in the top 10% of her class. After Wharton, she worked in the Research department at Morgan Guaranty Trust Company in New York City from 1965 to 1977, rising to become the third female officer at the firm. At Morgan, she developed mathematical models of the stock market using computers before the advent of personal computers and remained an “early adopter” of computing technology throughout her life. As her children grew into adults, she returned to the professional workforce as head of the Philadelphia office of Christie’s auction house, a position that combined her love for arts and antiquities with her business sense. She appreciated that the role allowed her to encounter such a broad range of art, jewelry, and collectibles and enjoyed working with the families, estates, and trusts behind these collections. In particular she was fond of collaborating with the Christie’s specialists, admiring their profound knowledge and depth of expertise. After Christie’s, Susie helped launch the Philadelphia and Main Line office of Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, a position that allowed her to match architecturally significant properties with their next stewards. Susie used her business acumen and passion for the arts to support and enhance many Philadelphia area organizations. She was Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and served as a board member for nine years. During her tenure at the ICA, the organization raised $5.4 million to construct a new building, which opened on the University’s campus in 1991. She also served as a trustee and Interim Director of the Rosenbach Museum & Library and was a long-time member of the Women’s Committee at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. When she moved to Beaumont in 2014, she remained active in her community, serving on Beaumont’s board of directors, both as a director and chairman. Susie was a quietly generous person and her personal life reflected her love of family, good conversation, and merriment. She prioritized education, travel, art, and family. She often was found at a museum, gallery, performance, or concert, and instilled a lifelong appreciation of arts and music in her children and grandchildren. Susie was born in Philadelphia, PA on May 24th, 1938 to Philip Langford Davidson and Ana Marqués Davidson. Early childhood was spent at her family’s farm in New Hope, PA and later at their home in Ardmore. During these years, her cousins from her mother’s side of the family would stay with the family during their breaks from school rather than traveling home by ship to Puerto Rico. These long visits cemented a lifelong bond. Once they all had families of their own, Susan and her siblings would enjoy regular festive gatherings with extended family in Puerto Rico, New York City and ski trips in Vermont. Susie and her husband Dick met as teenagers, fell in love as adults, and maintained a strong partnership, friendship, and deep appreciation for each other throughout their 43 year marriage. Each summer the family spent time in Sag Harbor, Long Island, where they rode horses, visited the beach, and motored the waters in their Boston Whaler. The family also created incredible memories through adventures that Susie organized out in the world, including trips to ski destinations worldwide, the Galapagos Islands to see Halley’s Comet, and across the U.S. in the family’s full conversion Chevy van. Susie was at her happiest being in the midst of an engaged group of people having conversation and fun. She often invited family and friends to their home to eat, whether an elaborate holiday dinner or a family meal. The family’s home featured a beautiful contemporary art and sculpture collection and a restaurant quality kitchen, a perfect location to host incredible parties, complete with great music, delicious food, and lots (and lots) of laughter. She had an eye for detail and creativity, organizing epic birthday parties complete with scavenger hunts around town, pinatas, and treasure hunts. Each Halloween, Susie free carved a series of incredible jack-o-lanterns which she perched on the long brick wall lining their family home, sometimes personalized to mark a special occasion, like the Phillies playing in the World Series. At Christmas, she transformed the family table with artfully arranged greens collected from the yard and brought joy with beautifully wrapped presents and thoughtful traditions. A memorial service will be held at 11am on Saturday May 4th, 2024 at the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, PA. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Philadelphia Museum of Art or the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr.

Tributes

Susan Hall Davidson Ravenscroft

May 24, 1938 - March 19, 2024