Susan Kay Kasten passed away peacefully on February 5, 2026, surrounded by her daughters. Born September 7, 1948, she grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa where she attended Fort Dodge Senior High School before matriculating at Buena Vista College. She went on to receive a master’s degree in English from St. Cloud State University in 1975. That same year, she married the love of her life, Daniel Kasten.

After marriage, the happy couple immediately moved to Japan where they spent six years teaching English at Kobe College, making lifelong friends, traveling throughout the region, and starting a family. They returned to the United States in 1982 and found their way to Texas where Susan started a job teaching ESL at the University of North Texas. She eventually became the IELI Curriculum Coordinator at UNT and spent over 20 years influencing thousands of students.

Susan was an active church member, first at Spring Valley United Methodist and more recently at Northaven United Methodist. At various times, she sang in the choir, built a family of friends with the Seekers, served as a Stephen Minister, participated in the Creatives, and volunteered on countless committees.

With a passion for color, Susan spent her free time engaged in artistic pursuits, including quilting and watercolor painting. She also enjoyed participating in several book clubs, attending plays, concerts, and operas, traveling all over the globe, and spending time with her friends and family. Susan never met a stranger and often left the grocery store with the full life story of a new friend.

Susan was preceded in death by her parents Floyd and Lillian Mitsven, her brother Edward Biccum, and her husband Daniel Kasten. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Amanda and Eric Bresie and Jennifer and Jay Turner as well as her grandchildren, Leo Bresie, Zoey Turner, and Nora Turner.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to Northaven United Methodist Church would be a fitting tribute to Susan.