Our people: Doing what she loves

My name is Susan Alman. I have lived in Melrose since 2014 and love it here. I was raised in a very small town much like Melrose where you left the house on the weekends after cartoons and a bowl of cereal and didn't come home till the street lights came on for supper, but mom always knew where you were and what you were up to. I work for the Curry County Foster Grandparent and Retired Senior Volunteer Programs as the program assistant and the Curry County Health Council Coordinator and I love what I do! I am the fifth of six children, four boys and two girls (my sister is 10 years my senior and said I was no fun until I turned 18) and most of my family still lives in Iowa. I have two sons who are now grown up and my husband has five grown sons, so between the two of us we have 20 grandchildren aged 14 years to 4 months. Most of them are in Iowa but a few of them live in Texas who we get to enjoy them more often.

How did you meet your spouse?

I met my husband Dan when I was 14 and he was 16 back in Marshalltown. I had the biggest crush on him, but we all went on with our own lives. Then in 2007 we meet again, and the rest is history. We got married in 2008 in a Lakota marriage ceremony performed by my brother in law in an outdoor area at a State Park in Iowa.

I have always been fascinated and awed by the tenacity and spirit driven lives of the native people in America. I have always been told we have native blood on my mothers' side, so while doing some genealogy I discovered we have relatives with the Lakota Sioux in South Dakota. I have worked to learn some of the language and have tried to raise my oldest granddaughter in the native ways. My dogs answer the Lakota commands better than when spoken in English. I even got married in a traditional deer skin fringed dress and made a ribbon shirt for my husband Danny.

Tell us about your pets:

I have five dogs, the oldest was a gift to my husband 12 years ago, a black lab/German Shepherd (but he looks like a BIG black German shepherd). My husband wanted a Harley Davidson Motorcycle by the time he was 50, so I named the puppy Harley David (he got his vroom vroom Harley the next year). My second pup is a rescue when she was 11 weeks old. She is what I call a chug, Bella is a long hair Chihuahua/pug, but she looks like a long hair Chihuahua. She weighs in at a whopping five pounds. I have her registered as an emotional support dog so she can accompany me to nursing homes to help brighten residents' lives. The next pup is a Chihuahua/terrier mix named Trouble and he is my love bug. The next is a double rescue Chihuahua/pug mix, but looks more pug, named Chappie. He looks like Scrappy Do on the Scooby Do cartoons and is a funny little clown who loves to lick. Last, but not least, is a wolf-hybrid that came from our Wolf-hybrid Rescue - Dakotas Den, named Thunder. He is our wolf ambassador when we attend the Navaho Gourd dances at the Bosque Redondo every year. We use every opportunity to dispel those wolf myths out there that just are not true.

What do you collect?

I like to pick up Native American and Southwest design anything whenever I see it anywhere. No matter how small or how big I somehow wind up with it in my car.

Do you have a celebrity crush?

If I had a celebrity crush, hhmm. at this moment it would probably be Jason Momoa but can be subject to change at any given moment. But never to change is Sam Elliott!

What do you hope your life will be like in 10 years?

In 10 years I would like to be close to retiring, have a nice truck and fifth wheel set-up and do some traveling around the country with my husband and dogs. Just enjoy our country and wildlife.

How would you like to be remembered?

I can only hope to be remembered as a great friend with a big heart who gave to all who needed it. Oh, and a wicked dry sense of humor!

- Compiled by Staff Writer Jamie Cushman