Virginia Suzann Hughes

Suzann G. Hughes, 81, of Montgomery Alabama, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, February 17th. Her passing will be mourned by her family, friends, and by stray cats and dogs from around the community who all knew where to go if they needed a new place to call home, and someone who would treat them like the princes and princesses they knew themselves to be.

Suzann was born in Florence, South Carolina, attended Huntington College and later AUM for an advanced degree, and was a teacher for the Montgomery County public school system. Her entire life was focused on serving others. She was a devoted mother, raising two amazing children, both of whom were never any trouble at all and in no way caused her any stress whatsoever. She was a dedicated teacher, who was always willing to spend a little extra time and attention on students who needed it. She was the kind of church member, neighbor, and friend that you could always count on for help and support. And her love for animals was legendary. Lucky indeed was a stray dog or cat who found their way to her home…a home where the animals had priority for all the best places to sit and the humans just figured out how to manage around them. Many a friend, upon seeing Suzann’s furry family living life large, would comment that in their next life, they wanted to come back as one of her pets. Today, heaven is full of dogs finally receiving freshly cooked bacon each morning once again.

She was an avid reader who passed on her love of books to her children. Give her a beach, a sunny day, and a good book to read and she was in her happy place. That’s probably what she’s doing right now, with a cat napping in her lap.

She is survived by her daughter, Catherine Shoemaker and her grandson Dalton Shoemaker; her son Bill Hughes and her granddaughter Kara Suzann Hughes; her brother, Russell Griffith and his wife Darlene, and her nephews Russ Jr. and Bryan Griffith.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Montgomery Humane Society in her name. https://www.montgomeryhumane.com/donate/