October 9, 1947 – March 30, 2026

Susan Carpenter Weills, better known as “Stuey,” died on March 30, a year and a half after her diagnosis of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Stuey’s illness forced her into an unplanned retirement. She closed the Gray Goose, the store she had owned in downtown Nevada City for 36 years, in early 2025. The Gray Goose was known for its selection of unique gifts, “from the sublime to the ridiculous,” all of which reflected the personality of Stuey herself colorful, stylish, art-loving, and with a wicked sense of humor. She was incredibly generous and brought much life and color be it her hair or the shop walls to Nevada City.

Stuey was born in Ross, California, to Audrey Davis Weills and John C.S. Weills III. She was the fifth of six children. Her father’s job with the phone company moved the family across northern California, from Marin County, to Santa Rosa, back to Marin, on to Sacramento, and to Berkeley. Her family has deep roots in Nevada City stretching back to logging and milling operations in Relief Hill and North Bloomfield in the mid-1800s. During Stuey’s childhood, Nevada City was always a secondary home for the family, where they would frequently stay with their grandmother Elizabeth Davis.

Stuey attended high school at Verde Valley School in Sedona, Arizona, and Sacramento High School before enrolling at UC Berkeley, where she graduated with an anthropology degree in 1976. In the early 1970s, the Weills family began to gravitate to Nevada City, and soon Audrey, John, and four of their adult children had put down roots here, including Stuey.

Before she bought the Gray Goose, Stuey worked in numerous Nevada City and Grass Valley restaurants (too many to list). Between waitressing and running her shop, Stuey was a wild personality in downtown Nevada City for more than 50 years.

Stuey is survived by her five siblings: Christopher Weills of Berkeley, Anne Weills of Oakland, and Tuck Weills, Penny Matson, and Kenly Weills, all of Nevada City. She also leaves behind her beloved Westie, Archie, and her cat, Alice. She was preceded in death by her first Westie, Reggie, and many cats. She relished the role of aunt and greatly enriched the lives of her nieces, her nephews, their children, and many generations of young people in the orbit of her shop.

Huge thanks to the many friends, neighbors, family, and caregivers who provided loving care these last few months.

A memorial will be held at the Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street in Nevada City, on May 31 at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to Sammie’s Friends, Rescue for Pet Sake, or the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT).