Susan Dobbie was born and educated in Edinburgh, Scotland. She immigrated to Canada in 1957, settling in Vancouver, BC. Susan partnered with her husband building the family business, Dowco Consultants Ltd., which specializes in steel detailing, while raising three children.

She received her B.A. from Simon Faser University as a mature student in 1989 and has been a volunteer docent at the Langley Centennial Museum since 1993.

She lives in Langley, B.C.