Susan Lenczowski, wife of IWP Founder, Chancellor, and President Emeritus, Dr. John Lenczowski, and mother of IWP Senior Vice President of Alumni Affairs and Communications, Katie Bridges, passed away after a long battle with cancer on April 1.
Susan was a woman of faith, a devoted wife and mother, as well as a talented artist. She learned about painting and sculpture from her mother and grandfather while growing up in Connecticut and studied art and art history as an undergraduate student.
Throughout a career in government and the private sector and the time spent raising her family, Susan continued to paint and draw, with watercolor being her favorite medium. Her paintings have appeared in numerous juried exhibitions in the Washington Metropolitan area, and Susan also dedicated her talent to helping run art classes for homeless men who were cared for at the Missionaries of Charity convent established by Mother Teresa in Washington, D.C.
Without Susan’s love, sage counsel, and unwavering support of John and his vision, IWP might not have come to be, let alone grow to become the thriving institution it is today. Images of Susan’s paintings, including the facade of IWP’s Marlatt Mansion, have graced IWP’s holiday cards over the years, and prior to her illness, Susan was often on John’s arm at IWP’s Christmas Parties, Galas, and other gatherings.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Susan’s memory to Missionaries of Charity, 2800 Otis Street, NE, Washington, DC 20018 or to The Institute of World Politics, Attn: Advancement Office, 1521 16th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, or on IWP’s website here.
