She often helped the homeless with food and other necessities, and Susan was also a regular volunteer at various soup kitchens. Susan’s nurturing spirit extended far beyond her own family. Later in life she was overjoyed to become the grandmother to thirteen grandchildren including Tabitha, Michael, Jacob, Brionna, Nathan, Lydia, Jason, Dakota, Katy, Tommy, Tyler, Bella, and Eva, and baby Francesca who is on the way. In fact, Susan was always looking for any reason to entertain, and holidays always gave her a chance to go all out.
Susan was an extraordinary hostess who held cooking parties, chili cook-offs, and Cinco de Mayo gatherings that everyone looked forward to. They camped up North frequently while her children were growing up, and there were also memories made on “Mud Day” in Livonia every year. The times Susan treasured most were spent with her family. She was blessed to be a mother to seven wonderful children: Christie, Jeffrey, Kelly, Colleen, Kate, Charlie, and Kevin. Most recently Susan had been working as a waitress.Īlthough her work was an essential part of her life, there was nothing more important to Susan than her family.
Equipped with great wisdom, she wrote a column in a monthly paper, Redford Connection, about parenting. Susan was later the director of the childcare program for Redford Schools. She taught young preschoolers through the headstart program in Redford. With her education behind her, Susan was poised for a very rewarding career. From there she went on to earn her associate’s degree in education. When she was just 16 years old Susan played her guitar at local coffeehouses and also performed in her school’s talent shows. She spent the majority of her formative years in the Detroit area, attending local schools. Susan’s father worked in the construction industry while her mother focused her attention at home as a wife, mother, and homemaker.įor the most part Susan experienced an upbringing that was reflective of the times. She was the oldest of four children born to her parents, Charles and Onda Payne, and she was raised in the family home alongside her younger siblings, Mary, Nancy, and John. Their wait was over on May 29th when the baby girl they named Susan Mary drew her first breath. Nestled within this colorful time was the year 1955 that was greeted with great anticipation for a young couple from Detroit, Michigan, as they were eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child. This was the decade that witnessed the addition of our 49th and 50th states and with our introduction to television shows like I Love Lucy and Lassie our view of the American family was forever changed. The end of WWII ushered in the baby boom, which caused an explosion in the construction industry as families were looking for homes in which to raise their busting clan. The 1950s were a great time to be an American. Taken from her loved ones much too soon, Susan will be deeply missed while the memories she leaves behind will remain lasting treasures in the hearts and lives of those who follow her. She taught us that there is little value found in what we have, but that it is in blessing others that we ourselves are richly blessed. Susan was a devoted mother who deeply loved her children, yet she just may have argued that becoming a grandmother was the role she had been waiting her entire life for.
She was gentle and gracious with a desire to serve others, which inspires us to think of others more than ourselves. All who knew Susan Payne would agree that she was one of the sweetest people around.
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