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MamaLiberty, RIP

I’ve just heard from Bill St. Clair, who heard from one of her neighbors, that Susan Callaway, our MamaLiberty, has died.

She said her goodbyes a few weeks ago, and I’m glad that we all had a chance to say goodbye to her as well, and thank her personally for what she meant to us.

I’ll have more later when I know more. Nathan Barton at The Price of Liberty will be making the official announcement. There is much to say.

37 Comments

  1. --jim
    --jim July 17, 2018 2:09 pm

    When you consider most of us won’t get the chance to give everyone a head’s up toward our exit, everyone was extremely lucky to pay their respects when it counted. Her posts were among my earliest bookmarks (and my Drudge bookmark still has the (c)2001 in it…) as this little bulletin board grew. Time to make sure they archive properly

  2. kentmcmanigal
    kentmcmanigal July 17, 2018 4:56 pm

    Someone had posted on FB last night that she was dying. I wasn’t sure if they meant the end was truly here, or if they had just heard the news that had been going around. I guess I know now. 🙁

  3. James Wesley, Rawles
    James Wesley, Rawles July 17, 2018 7:44 pm

    Susan will be greatly missed by everyone in the liberty movement!

  4. daryl holland
    daryl holland July 18, 2018 6:09 am

    Rest peacefully.

  5. Unclezip
    Unclezip July 18, 2018 7:01 am

    I’m gonna miss our conversations. RIP, ML.

  6. Joel
    Joel July 18, 2018 7:41 am

    Planning to hold off on a TUAK announcement until it’s official on TPoL so I don’t say too much of the wrong thing. But I wish Nathan would do it already…

  7. Claire
    Claire July 18, 2018 9:09 am

    I don’t know Nathan; could be he’s too broken up or taking time to write a longer tribute. But I wish he’d post, too.

  8. Claire
    Claire July 18, 2018 10:44 am

    Thanks, Bill.

  9. Jeremy Aal
    Jeremy Aal July 18, 2018 12:11 pm

    Thank you, Claire, for the notice. I am glad to read everyone’s thoughts and experiences through the various sources, especially Nathan’s if he does so on TPOL. I have written a post about Susan on my website and included a few pictures as well. The post can be found at:
    http://aalfirearms.is/20180718-mama-liberty-remembered/

    Thank you, all.

  10. Claire
    Claire July 18, 2018 12:26 pm

    That’s beautiful, Jeremy. And that end-of-life Q&A was a bold and very good thing to do.

  11. Sandra Wiener
    Sandra Wiener July 18, 2018 8:33 pm

    I am Susan’s sister, Sandra Wiener, and I will post to Twitter soon. Thank you all for your kind words. My sister lived life on her own terms just like our mother taught us to.
    Sandi

  12. Claire
    Claire July 18, 2018 8:37 pm

    Sandi, thank you very much for posting. Susan had many admirers here and around the online freedom community. Any news you have will be gladly received.

    One man wondered about sending flowers or signing an online memorial or somesuch.

    Susan told me of your visit and that you were supportive in ways she feared you might not be. This must be a hard time for you, but you made it better for her.

  13. Daniel Wiener
    Daniel Wiener July 18, 2018 11:23 pm

    We knew this was coming, and yet I somehow expected Susan to live much longer than she did. But she was in a lot of pain, so it’s some mercy that she no longer has to endure that. She will be greatly missed, not only by us but by all the friends who know her personally or through her writings.

  14. John
    John July 19, 2018 12:45 am

    Sandra Wiener,
    I recent lost a younger brother. My best wishes to you forward. We take a hit when we lose good people, but we know by what they gave us, that more good folks are what we aught continue seek cultivate.
    And we can do this.
    We have been shown how.
    Our turn.

  15. fred
    fred July 19, 2018 1:25 am

    That’s beautiful, Jeremy. And that end-of-life Q&A was a bold and very good thing to do
    ————-
    That really was nice.

  16. pigpen51
    pigpen51 July 19, 2018 9:55 am

    I am also heartbroken. When I was first beginning to comment on various freedom type blogs, Mamaliberty was kind and gracious with me, and engaged me in dialog on several occasions to help teach me some of her ideas and philosophy. I was impressed by her intelligence, her passion, and her ability to never change who she was or what she believed in based upon somebody else’s opinions.
    A true patriot and strong woman has left us, and we are going to miss her.

  17. Comrade X
    Comrade X July 19, 2018 10:36 am

    I didn’t know ML and will forever be sorry I didn’t but Jeremy Aal Q & A really was a great tribute.

    Thanks.

  18. barbacat
    barbacat July 20, 2018 7:36 am

    Susie and I were children together. She is my step Aunt…long complicated story there.
    I have wonderful pictures of her as a kid.
    We loved each other very much.

  19. Claire
    Claire July 20, 2018 7:44 am

    Thank you barbacat (and Sandra and Daniel) for coming here to share your love and admiration for Susan.

  20. barbacat
    barbacat July 20, 2018 8:05 am

    I don’t have a FB account (Like Susan, wouldn’t touch it!) – so I’m slow getting much info.
    I keep checking The Price of Liberty blog, but no announcement as of yet.
    I moved out of So. Calif long ago, so I’m more of a myth to relatives born after 80’s.

    I will surely miss the winter emails we shared back n’ forth.

  21. Claire
    Claire July 20, 2018 8:16 am

    “I don’t have a FB account (Like Susan, wouldn’t touch it!)”

    You fit right in here then. 🙂 Most of us are privacy devotees and glad to be out of the social media madness. But it does make it much harder to get personal news, sometimes. Sigh. I don’t even know the date Susan died. Do you, or does anybody else here?

    It’s interesting being a myth, though.

  22. barbacat
    barbacat July 20, 2018 8:41 am

    The only knowledge I have is from my daughter (she spotted it on her FB) that Susan was discovered last Tuesday the 17th at 11:50 a.m. I am assuming she was found by one of her helping neighbors, but I am only guessing. She told me she had caring folks helping her every day while she grew weaker along her journey.

    Like “Susie,” I’m a recluse for the most part. We enjoyed each other’s views. Iron sharpens iron…

  23. Claire
    Claire July 20, 2018 8:46 am

    ” I am assuming she was found by one of her helping neighbors, but I am only guessing.”

    Thank you for that information. How sad to be “discovered” dead; yet I know Susan wanted to be alone at the end. And yes, she also told me she had a neighbor looking in on her every day, so that was good.

    Lots of recluses hereabouts, it seems. It also seems that Susan — who over the years invited many near-strangers to visit — was an unusually extroverted recluse. 🙂

  24. barbacat
    barbacat July 20, 2018 8:57 am

    “— was an unusually extroverted recluse” …and an extraordinary woman.
    I will always think of her passing as an example of how to do it on your terms.
    She did, and she showed us how to hit what you’re aiming at.

  25. Garry Reed
    Garry Reed July 20, 2018 9:13 am

    Although we never met in person Mama and I have had a long great online friendship and I will truly, deeply miss her!

    The two of us go back to 2007 when she began commenting on and re-posting my articles here on “The Price of Liberty.” Some time later she sent me a copy of an unpublished book she had written and I wrote a book review for it and posted it on my Libertarian Examiner blog. My review was a bit satirical and we had great fun with that.

    Over the years Mama would frequently comment on my articles and either compliment or criticize them as she thought needed. She more than anyone else edged me farther away from political libertarianism and deeper into my current self-identification as a post-statist voluntaryist libertarian. I thank her for that and for so many of the great personal emails and public comments on my articles.

    She was, as it turned out, a “philosophical mama” to me in that way and a great friend and I will deeply miss her.

  26. Lobo Tiggre
    Lobo Tiggre July 22, 2018 1:10 pm

    Yes…we got to say goodbye…but the heart balks at believing until the fact stabs it. She made blankets for my children. She tended to their scratches. She gave great hugs. It hurts to think of the world without her…

    AAAAOOOOooooooOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    L

  27. tpolnathan
    tpolnathan July 23, 2018 7:48 pm

    Dear Claire and everyone else.
    I have finally posted something on TPOL, and have already re-edited it a half-dozen times. It still doesn’t read right! Please be patient.
    I apologize sincerely for taking so long to do so. It is very hard, especially as we were all so scattered and only got to see her every few weeks.
    I know I speak for all her friends and comrades, but especially for my family, in thanking everyone for posting here and elsewhere. It is very hard to know what to say and how to say it, without things coming across wrongly. Please, forgive me if they do
    She did indeed have neighbors coming in daily, to help with chores and to share their pets with her. She hated to have to adopt out her “guard dog” several months ago, so it was not just the human visitors she appreciated so much.
    Please continue to share – I will also set up a separate posting to allow people to comment there as well.
    We want to continue what she started, and achieve the goals which she worked so long and hard towards.
    With love and encouragement to us all,
    Nathan

  28. Daniel Wiener
    Daniel Wiener September 15, 2018 2:30 pm

    Sandi Wiener (Susan’s sister) and I will be in Newcastle at the end of September (the 25th through the 27th), and during that time we’ll be spreading Susan’s ashes (probably on Wednesday, Sept. 26th). Susan was not much for ceremonies, and we won’t be having any big memorial service or anything. But if any of her friends would like to join us when we spread her ashes, let us know. (Email sandi@oldcrone.com.)

  29. Daniel Wiener
    Daniel Wiener September 26, 2018 8:28 pm

    We will be scattering Susan’s ashes at her home in Newcastle at 1 pm on Thursday, September 27th. Anyone who wants to is welcome to join us.

  30. Jim Klein
    Jim Klein March 1, 2020 6:51 am

    Hope it’s okay to leave such a late comment here. I’m the guy who wrote of her passing /prematurely/ on the old (now gone) Zerogov Forum and this is first reliable notice that I’ve seen. Guess my memory and searching could use some improvement.

    Philosophy has been my passion for my whole life. It was Susan alone who I considered my “philosophical twin.” I don’t read much and so I’ve only seen a few of her essays, but we interacted plenty. In real life–that’s the only one I see–she and I thought so similarly it was almost scary. And I read lots of so-called “freedom thinkers.” I was able to see her a few times when I crossed the country, including when she was hurting and dying, and it was always great to spend any time with her. Did she love those growing plants?

    I’m thinking maybe that’s the lesson—it will take Good Guys with love (and guns!) to change this world, not Bad Guys seeking revenge.

    And then there’s you, Claire. Few people have ever moved the world as much as you, so thanks for that and thanks for this message. Funny—she’d never want it, but there’s little I can think of but crying.

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