Susan Nitzke, 71, of Cottage Grove, the woman who once added colors to our pale skies, has died after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. Susan was born Aug. 23, 1946, in Byron, Wis., to Lawrence and Marcella (Schoofs) Schwartz. She married William Nitzke on Aug. 24, 1968. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and worked for more than 30 years at UW-Madison, ultimately serving as Chair of the Nutritional Sciences Department. Susan battled pancreatic cancer for five years, defying the odds as she did throughout her life and career.
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