Susan M. Moga, Archaeologist

Susan M. Moga
Archaeologist
(1948-2021)

Susan Moga

OAS archaeologist Susan M. Moga passed away Nov. 13, 2021, following a brief illness.

Born in 1948 and raised as a Green Bay Packer fan in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, Susan attended the University of Alaska in Anchorage and the University of Oregon in Eugene, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in anthropology.

Susan's archaeological career began in 1981, when she served as a volunteer survey crew member for the State of Alaska Parks Division's Blueberry Campground project. She then served as a curatorial assistant at the Oregon State Museum of Anthropology from 1983 to 1986.

Other early work included the documentation and cataloging of fauna, lithics, and prehistoric and historic artifacts in projects throughout the state of Oregon. She also worked as an archaeological assistant, recording petroglyph sites in the White Rock/Los Alamos area, in 1987.

Her career at OAS began in 1988, when she worked as an excavator on the La Plata Highway Project in San Juan County. More recently, Susan served as crew chief on the downtown Santa Fe civic center project, the Madrid Historic District mines project, and the reconnaissance project at the Eugenie Shonnard House in downtown Santa Fe, among many others.

Susan was known at OAS for her frank and outright sense of humor, her idefatigable passion for archaeology, and her unparalleled work ethic. She could often be found working on projects around town, day or night, in summer heat or freezing cold. Her considerable knowledge of historic objects was one of her many talents that will make her irreplaceable.

She was a private person whose love for archaeology was surpassed only by her love of the outdoors and of long walks with her dog, the sweet but highly energetic Stella. Susan was preceded in death by her longtime partner, artist Kent Kraus.

(originally published in the February 2023 Friends of Archaeology newsletter)