Susan Singleton Daly, Ph.D., who dedicated her life to serving others, died on Friday, May 23, 2025, at Cape Cod Hospital in Barnstable. She was 85.

Born on Sept. 1, 1939 to Sarah Elizabeth Hennion and William Curtis Singleton, she was raised in Dumont, New Jersey.

“There her lifelong enthusiasm for reading, writing, and exploring the world led her to a summer job as a reporter for the local newspaper. She received her nursing degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York and worked as a registered nurse at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown and later in Syracuse.

“Susan was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and formed a lifetime bond with a core group of alumnae from her nursing class. Susan married John Groom Daly of Cooperstown and raised their three children in Guilderland.

“During her time as a stay-at-home mother, she was a repeat winner of newspaper contests for her home-cooking recipes. She also joined a neighborhood club of bridge players, attracting a core group of ‘bridge ladies’ who continued to meet for decades.

“Susan dedicated her life to serving others. She returned to school and received her Ph.D. in psychology in 1983 as an inaugural candidate in the doctoral program at the State University of New York at Albany. Susan practiced family therapy in Colonie and also served as an administrator-practitioner at the Albany Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where for more than a decade she mentored classes of postdoctoral residents.

“Susan relocated to Cape Cod in retirement, fulfilling a longtime dream. In addition to visiting with family and friends and taking several trips abroad, she devoted her time on the Cape to volunteering for WE CAN of Harwich, Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, the Brewster Ladies Library, The Nauset Regional School District, and First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Brewster.

“Susan served as a poll worker for local elections and a supervisor for the United States Census. She was a regular at tai chi classes at the Brewster Council on Aging, where she also volunteered. 

“‘Sue’ Daly will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, aunt, mother-in-law, and confidante to her extended family and her many friends from Albany and Brewster.

“She enjoyed participating in multiple book groups, taking writing classes, writing poetry, knitting, cooking, playing bridge, hiking the Cape’s many wilderness areas, and collecting sea glass during walks on the beach.

“She was beloved for her sharp humor, her deft storytelling, her compassion, and her gift for listening deeply and providing feedback with candor and clarity.”

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She will be profoundly missed by her daughter, Amy Daly-Fisher and son-in-law Matthew Fisher; her son Mark Daly and daughter-in-law Lisa Grumet; her granddaughters, Hannah and Gwen; her nieces and nephews and in-laws of the Singleton, Daly, Shelsta, Fisher, Victory and Visker families; and her loving Brewster community and friends.

Her parents, Sarah Elizabeth Hennion and William Curtis Singleton, died before her as did her brother, Wells Singleton, and her eldest son, Timothy Daly. 

A celebration of life will be held on Monday, June 23, at 2 p.m. at First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist, Brewster Meetinghouse, 1969 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631.

Memorial contributions may be made to the WE CAN of Harwich Annual Fund in Susan S. Daly’s memory.