Susan Atwood

I was born in 1948 and raised in an Icelandic community in Seattle, Washington. I was blessed to spend my summers growing up in the Icelandic community of Mountain, North Dakota. From an early age, I loved all things to do with Iceland. My dreams of traveling to Iceland finally came true in 2007. Since then, I have traveled to Iceland 12 times in total, and I fall more in love with the country on each visit. Over the years, I have been fortunate to meet many cousins from multiple branches of my family. All of my ancestors are from Iceland and it has been so rewarding to learn more about them through Icelandic Roots. On my first visit to Iceland, it was very overwhelming trying to figure out how the 60+ people coming to meet me were actually related to me. Icelandic Roots has given me the resources to keep all of those relationships clearer in my mind. I enjoy adding photos and information about my ancestors to IR and plan to continue doing so until my resources are exhausted. That may take my whole life, however, as I come from a family that was proud of our heritage and saved many photos and documents, for which I am grateful.

After graduation from high school, I worked at Seattle District Court as a bailiff for six years. I enjoyed being a stay-at-home mother for nine years after that. When I returned to work, I co-managed a dental office for 27 years until my retirement in 2010.

I am a longtime member of the Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle (ICGS), having served as their “Princess” in the late 1960s and later as a board member for 3 years. I was also named the ICGS “Fjallkona” in 2014. Since retiring, I have tried to stay involved, though to a lesser degree than before.