Susan Parsons

Susan Ellen Parsons, 59, passed away peacefully Wednesday surrounded by her children.

Susan was born July 20, 1959, in Butler, the beloved fourth child and only daughter of Mona Faye Parsons and Robert A. Parsons.

In the spring of 1977, she graduated from Butler High School and she enrolled at Slippery Rock University that fall. From SRU, she transferred to the Pennsylvania State University, where she completed her B.A. in English in 1981.

Afterward, Susan moved to Hollywood, Calif., for several years before returning to Butler, where she accomplished two goals that she was quite proud of: becoming a mother and completing a graduate degree. In September 1985, she again enrolled at SRU to pursue an M.A. in student personnel. Being fond of the atmosphere and energy of universities, Susan sought a degree that would allow her to work in academia, helping students through curriculum design, teaching and advising. In December, she gave birth to her first child, Anna Parsons Spears. She finished her M.A. in 1987, and accepted a position at the University of Maine.

Always a devoted daughter, Susan moved back to Butler in 1989 to help take care of her father, who had fallen ill. In 1990, she gave birth to her second child, R. Maxwell Spears. She lived in Butler for the rest of her life, working at SRU for 31 years, where she was most recently an assistant professor who coordinated the Online Liberal Arts and Liberal Arts Degree Completion Programs. During this time she devoted herself to raising two beautiful children, and to making a home that became a sanctuary for those who were lucky enough to share in her friendship and love.

Susan also had a passion for studying and pursuing beauty. She was a student of art history, learning about the techniques and movements that spurred the progression of western art. She filled her home with original works of art, many of which were made by her brother, Daniel A. Parsons. She loved fashion, and her wardrobe displayed a remarkable eye for style. She could always find the perfect garment for herself and others, often volunteering to be our personal stylist. She loved music and dancing, and she was ready to burst into song or dance at any moment, either to cheer someone up, or more simply as an expression of the joy that she felt for life.

For those lucky enough to know and love Susan, she will always be remembered for her boundless generosity, fierce loyalty, unwavering kindness and genuine optimism, which filled her life with an infectious positivity.

Susan leaves behind to cherish her memory her daughter, Anna Parsons Spears; her son, R. Maxwell Spears; her grandchildren, Jackson Robert, Aiden James and Mae Rose Widing; and her brother, Andrew (Ann) Parsons.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mona Faye and Robert A. Parsons; and her brothers, Daniel A. and Robert Parsons.

PARSONS — A memorial service for Susan E. Parsons, who died Wednesday, May 15, 2019, will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Boylan Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 856 Evans City Road, Renfrew.

If desired, memorial contributions may be made in Susan's honor to Planned Parenthood or the Holocaust Museum.

Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.boylanfuneralservices.com.