Suzy Ellen Gatlin, born July 14, 1965, in Powell, Wyoming, joined her beloved brother, Thomas Branstetter, in eternal paradise on July 8, 2026 in Billings, Montana.

She is survived by her children, Gage Gatlin (Sarah Gatlin), Shelby Waggener (Sydney Waggener), and Gunnar Coen; and her grandchildren, Isobel Waggener and Octavia Gatlin, for whom she devoted the lion’s share of her life raising with undying love and support.

This contrasted how she spent her youth: building camaraderie with the biggest 80s rock bands, training celebrity horses in Texas, and slinging cocktails in Las Vegas’ most prolific casinos. If you talked to Suzy, you could feel the reverberations of her larger than life experiences, because she was a larger than life person.

Despite foregoing an exciting life to give her children a peaceful, stable upbringing in the fertile soils of her hometown of Powell, Wyoming, she never abandoned her vivacious spirit. She possessed a sparkle that touched everyone, no matter how small the encounter. Suzy noticed the best qualities of a person and reminded them to see it, too. A voracious reader with a exceptional knack for storytelling, she could entertain a room with such great fervor that even a fly on a wall would buckle over laughing.

She was kind, she was generous, she was charismatic, and she gave her life to her children who will every day celebrate her as strongly as they will miss her.

A private celebration of life with close family and friends has already taken place.