Bristol resident Susan Meyer, 80, died in Providence Hospital on Thanksgiving morning after a long illness. The cause was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Born Susan Morris McGee in 1943 in Northampton, MA, she grew up in South Hadley, MA, where her father, Alan VanKeuren McGee, was an English professor and chairman of the department at Mount Holyoke College. Through her mother, Katharine Howland McGee, she was a direct descendant of John Howland, who arrived in America on the Mayflower.

Mrs. Meyer attended Lake Erie College, graduated with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and was magna cum laude graduate with a BS from the University of Rhode Island. She met her future husband, Merritt Kempshall Meyer, when they were standing next to each other in line to register for summer school at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. They were married in 1967, and eventually moved to New York City, where they lived for twenty years before moving to Bristol, RI, in 1990.

Her professional career was in graphic design. She retired from the Naval War College in Newport, where she worked in graphic design and publications production. A lifelong artist, Sue was a painter and worked in various media from her home studio. A longtime cancer survivor, she loved dark chocolate, pigs, reading, jazz, and classical music.

She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Newport Art Museum, Mount Hope Farm, and the First Unitarian Church of Providence. Predeceased by her brother, Ian McGee, she is survived by her husband of 56 years, Merritt Meyer; her sister-in-law Barbara Meyer Elesh of Rockville, MD; and several cousins. A memorial service will be held in the spring.