Susan Pauline Tryon

Memorial Services for Susan are delayed to a future date that will be announced. Celebrating the Life of Susan Owen Tryon: "Bridge Builder with her talents" and "Bridge Maker in her heart". Sue is especially known and honored as a part of the Body of Christ in Tulsa, attended Believers Fellowship and several different prayer and ministry gatherings which have blessed this City. She quietly went about praying for and helping people, especially young people, and making a difference wherever she went! She was married to Steve Tryon, her best friend and partner for 36 years. The following represents her father's memories and that of her family; and followed by a generous tribute to her successes in the engineering community while being employed at Benham Engineering Company in Tulsa. From Her Family: Susan Pauline Tryon, nee Owen, of Coweta, Oklahoma, died on December 13, 2021. She was born on August 26, 1962, in Springfield, Illinois. Her mother, Ethel Mae Owen, nee Ware, preceded her in death. She is survived by her father, John H. Owen, and his wife, Lynne Lockie, of Sarasota, Florida; her husband, Steve Tryon of Coweta; her sister, Jeanette Sarah Owen, of Arlington, VA; her brother, John H. Owen II, his wife, Amy Owen and their children Jackson, Wyatt and Stephen Owen, all of Overland Park, Kansas. Her family remembers Sue as a kind and generous lovely soul who met the world with an open heart. She loved to travel with Steve, in the U.S., as well as to far away places, such as Indonesia, Scotland, England, Israel and other countries. She loved being outdoors, gardening, visiting the beach and sports car races. She loved having friends over for dinner, movies and games. She loved quiet times, also, enjoying a few hours on the porch or curled up with Steve and their dogs. Sue's father has so many fond memories, he found it defies time and space to recount them all. One recollection stands out: while she was an engineering student at Rolla School of Mines and Minerals - as it used to be known - he was visiting her on campus, and he asked her to tell him about her extra-curricular activities. She spoke of being a member of the annual competitive concrete canoe race design, construction and canoe racing team, which he thought was amazing. The highlight which she was happiest about, was being on a team constructing a playground in the city that was specifically for handicapped children. These were among her other extra-curricular activities, whilst carrying a full load of engineering studies. Her Dad asked, "Sue, how can you possibly find time to sleep at night with all these goings - on?" She thought for just a moment, then said, "well, Dad, when I study, I study hard. And when I work, I work hard. And when I sleep, I sleep hard - and fast!!!" Well, her father knew that some consider pride sinful, but in this case, he confessed that her work for the handicapped children caused her Daddy's buttons to pop! Later in life, she and her husband, Steve, went on to provide compassionate caring and nurturing to young persons in the Tulsa - Coweta area who were going through rough patches in their life and needed help. Her compassion and caring for others less fortunate than she, was emblematic of her sterling character and deep soul that was an inspiration to others - including her mom and dad. From Her Colleagues: Sue graduated from the University of Missouri - Rolla with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1984 and 1986, respectively. She was a registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida, and a registered Structural Engineer in Oklahoma. Sue started her career at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), completing a one-year rotation through most of the Department's divisions then joining the Bridge Division. Sue left ODOT in December 1990 to work a few years in the oil and gas industry with Nova Engineering, LLC. She joined Benham in March 1993, and Benham's Civil Infrastructure Division drew on her bridge design experience to develop a bridge engineering team in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Her projects ranged from reinforced concrete boxes to skewed, curved, and flared structures, including prestressed concrete tub girders, curved steel tub girders, and a railroad truss bridge. Sue was with Benham for 28 years and served as a Senior Engineering Manager and leader of the Transportation Structures Group. Sue had a keen eye for constructability, a gift for problem-solving, and enjoyed training and mentoring younger staff. Sue always placed a high emphasis on the need for safety in structural engineering design, a lesson she taught well to the many engineers she mentored. Sue designed and managed more projects than can possibly be referenced. Much of the infrastructure of Oklahoma has been designed or influenced by Sue through her hard work and commitment to quality structures and projects, and our state is better because of her impact. One notable project that Sue thoroughly enjoyed working on was a hydropower plant in Southeast Arkansas. It was built beside an existing dam and rerouted a portion of the Arkansas River through the plant to generate power for the entire region. The walls were 8 feet thick, and the design included 60-foot-wide by 60-foot-tall beams. Sue loved to talk about this massive structural engineering feat. Sue had her hand in several of the most prominent highway interchanges and bridges in Oklahoma, including the I-40 Crosstown East Interchange, the entrance to the gateway of Downtown Oklahoma City. Another notable project was the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Truss Bridge over I-235 in Oklahoma City, a structure that carries trains over a highway with more than 115,000 vehicles a day. That job won an Engineering News-Record award for Bridge Project of the Year. The project also won the Oklahoma Grand Conceptor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies. The current construction phase of this corridor involves Oklahoma's first four-level interchange and has the highest construction dollar value in state history. Sue's most recent project was the rehabilitation of the Pensacola Dam Bridge in Northeast Oklahoma, which was originally built in 1940. It is a mile-long bridge on the top of a dam, and it's also the longest bridge in the entire state of Oklahoma. Sue was also involved in many industry organizations throughout her career, including WTS International, American Society of Civil Engineers, Society of American Military Engineers, and Oklahoma Society of Professional Engineers, where she led the MATHCOUNTS program for many years. Sue will be greatly missed by all in her family, as well as her many friends and co-workers. But we take joy and comfort, knowing that she is eternally with the Lord Jesus Christ, her Savior. In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial donations be made to The Little Light House of Tulsa Memorial Service will be announced at a later date. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233

Susan Pauline Tryon

August 26, 1962 - December 13, 2021