Susan Teresa Walraven

As Thomas William and Anne Adkisson Walraven anticipated the birth of their second child in 1954, they were the type of people who would only wish for a healthy and happy baby. Their first child, Judy, had certainly blessed their home, so their hopes were high for this new addition to the family. Their little home in the Chattahoochee area of Fulton County was a modest one. Bill was an accountant for the railroad, and Anne had been a secretary, so their wealth was in the love of family and the grace of the God who guided their lives. Susan was born September 27, 1954, in Atlanta. It was in this cradle of love and care that Susan and her sister Judy learned what was important in life: relationships. Susan was one of a group of people who learned to live the best life possible and take advantage of the legacy of her parents. What better profession could there be for Susan than education? While she never had children of her own, she nurtured countless numbers of children whom she mentored in all her years as an educator. She especially loved working with God's "wee ones." On the other end of the spectrum, she was drawn to His seniors, age 80 plus. She was possessed by a unique servant spirit that attracted those in this age group. They sensed the love she radiated and found great comfort in her ability to relate to them. Susan also loved to watch great teachers teach. She found this to be like an art form in itself as great teachers learn to walk that fine line between loving and encouraging their students and establishing boundaries to make their leadership roles successful in the classroom. She observed so many classrooms in her career, but there were those that she revisited often, purely out of respect for that teacher's consummate skills. She was their greatest cheerleader. Susan's birth family was not a large one. As the years flew by and all were engrossed in the task of raising children and the confines of work took more hours than before, it was difficult to find the time to visit, and most family events to reconnect involved weddings, funerals, and telephone visits, especially during the pandemic. Finally, as most families were approaching senior status, visits with all her cousins became a primary focus, and she found it easy to pick up the threads of everyone's life and forget all the years that had made visits impossible. One aspect of Susan's life that she enjoyed were the various and sundry members of her friends who came to be her "tribe." She always felt that God placed these many friends especially for her. She certainly felt that she had not done anything to warrant such devotion, but she was so thankful for each one of them. They helped her navigate through the illness and loss of her beloved parents. As she experienced her own last illness, she was transformed by the experience of the countless acts of kindness that were showered upon her by her friends. She most likely never realized that she had been paying kindness forward her entire life, and this was her friends' way of thanking her. Nothing weighed more seriously on Susan than being a good steward of all the blessings the good Lord sent her way. She was taught by her parents from childhood that you cannot out-give the Lord and that what you give away will come back to you in blessings. She was gifted with both artistic and musical skills in addition to her professional attributes. As you might expect, she supported causes involving health care for children and groups that provided life-enrichment opportunities for senior citizens. A memorial gift to honor Susan's memory would be a tribute to her life of service and dedication to her favorite causes. When Susan's doctor delivered the news that would change her life forever, she "got the ball and ran with it." Nobody would have blamed her if she withdrew into a corner and cried her eyes out for the rest of the time she was given. But for Susan, this was the last and most significant test of her faith and courage. She ran toward the inevitable and not away from it. She busied herself making sure her house was in order whenever that time came. She had tried to be an example of living a joyful life. In this last act of her life, she would show others that death did not have the last say. Her faith, good-natured attitude, and even her wry sense of humor were going to carry her through this last part of her life, and it did! Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Anne Walraven. She is survived by her sister, Judy Walraven Miller, and her husband, Gary. She has a large extended family of nephews and a plethora of cousins. Of no less importance are those who populated her tribe. Who knew that Bessie A. Stanley, in 1906, would be in the obituary writing business with a quote most typically attributed to the late Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was born over 100 years earlier! She wrote, "To laugh often and much: to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded." Mission accomplished, Susan. The service to honor God and remember this unique child of His creation will be held on Friday, January 3, 2025 at 3:00 pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. A reception will follow the service in the parish hall. McKoon Funeral Home and Crematory. 770-253-4580.

Susan Teresa Walraven

September 27, 1954 - December 2, 2024