Natasha B. Suter

Natasha Bushnell Suter passed away on December 13, 2025 at Hospicare in Ithaca from complications from ovarian cancer. She was 75.

Natasha was born on October 10, 1950 in Altadena, California to David P. Bushnell and Nina C. Bushnell (née Gmirkin). She grew up in Altadena and studied at Pomona before transferring to the University of Washington where she graduated in 1972 with a degree in ethnomusicology.

Natasha took great interest in musical traditions from around the world, and hosted a radio show, ‘Earth Music’ on KRAB in Seattle covering world music and cultures from 1972-1978. She also traveled extensively, including a 3-month solo trip around the Soviet Union at age 21, travels to study Chinese, art, and architecture in Beijing, and six months in Indonesia with her first husband, Phillip Yampolsky. She was nearly fluent in Russian (her Mother’s native tongue) and also studied Chinese, Indonesian, French, German, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, and Bulgarian at various times.

After living most of her life on the west coast, she reconnected with an old friend, John Suter, in 1985 on a trip to New York City. They were married on January 17, 1987. Their daughter, Sonya, was born the following year when they also moved to Ithaca. Natasha loved Ithaca, where she marveled at the beauty of the four seasons on her many long walks, enjoyed her garden and a neighbor’s lotus pond, and cultivated deep friendships. Always on her own private spiritual journey, she was an avid student of varied healing practices, including meditation and qigong.

Natasha will be remembered for the quality of her hugs and the way she made people feel, as well as her infallible photographic memory that included the name of just about everyone she met. She was thrilled to have been able to meet her grandson in her last year.

Natasha is survived by her husband John, daughter Sonya, son-in-law Toby Hyde, grandson Elio Hyde as well as her sister Jean Salfen, brother David Alan Bushnell, and father’s wife Nancy Bushnell. She is predeceased by her parents and brother Steven Bushnell. A memorial will be held in Spring, 2026. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to Save the Children or to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.