Susan E McTaggart

Susan E. McTaggart, born Susan E. Chalifoux, passed away peacefully at home in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on May 31, 2026. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on November 1, 1951, to Perry Chalifoux and Jane (Petermann) Chalifoux.

Susan grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from Riverside High School as a member of the National Honor Society. She studied piano at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, where she developed the musical foundation that would become one of the great joys and purposes of her life.

Sue raised her family in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Her life also included time in Cincinnati before she returned to Wisconsin, where she made her home in the Waukesha area. Sue was formerly married to John McTaggart.

Music, teaching, children, and nature were at the heart of Sue’s life. She loved teaching and had a special gift for helping children learn, grow, and find confidence through music. She taught for many years through Corrao Music in Hartland, later Hartland Music, and at the Waukesha County Conservatory of Music. In 1989, she founded Kids On Keys. Through Kids On Keys and many years of private instruction, Sue shared her love of music with generations of students. She continued teaching until the final days of her life.

Sue also shared her musical gifts through church communities, serving for many years as an organist and choir director. Her church music included service at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Sussex and St. Timothy’s in Cincinnati.

In addition to music, Sue had a deep love of children, creativity, and the natural world. She proudly authored several children’s books, expressing her imagination and lifelong desire to encourage and delight young minds. She carried her joy in nature into the way she taught, wrote, and lived.

Sue is survived by her children, Andrew, Christopher and his wife Jennifer (Sevey), and David and his wife Salima (Singletary). She is also survived by her grandchildren, Elizabeth and her husband Caleb (Wassman), Erin and her fiancé Jason (Clark), Mayyah and her husband Sam (Rutschilling), Thomas, Duncan, Adam, and Ayah McTaggart; and her great-grandchildren, Dagny (Wassman) and David (Rutschilling); her brother, Robert Chalifoux; and her sister, Jean Speck (Chalifoux, Flegiel).

She was preceded in death by her parents, Perry Chalifoux and Jane (Petermann) Chalifoux.

Sue will be remembered for her devotion to her family, her love of children, her lifelong dedication to teaching, her gift for music, and the warmth and patience she shared with the many students whose lives she touched.

A visitation for Susan will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at St. Albans Episcopal Church (W239 N6440 Maple Avenue, Sussex, WI 53089). Family and friends are invited to gather beginning at 10:00 a.m. and continuing until the start of the Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County (hawspets.org) or the Susan McTaggart Scholarship Fund (https://www.lakecountrymusicclub.org/category/all-products).

For those unable to attend in person, Susan’s service will be livestreamed on the day of the service using the link below. 
https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/a26065448949714