Susan Irene (Collum) Crummett

SUSAN COLLUM CRUMMETT

Susan Collum Crummett passed on January 31, 2021 after a long fight against Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), complicated by COVID-19. She is survived by her daughter, Janice C. McHenry, son Kevin B. Crummett, and her sister Wanda C. Lewark of Fairfax, Virginia. Preceded in death by her father, mother, two brothers, and her husband Boyd Crummett.

Susan served more than 35 years in a career with the Department of Defense in positions of increasing responsibility, beginning in 1956 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. She moved to the Washington area in 1957 and spent the rest of her career at the Pentagon. She served on the staff of the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff twice (1960-1964 and 1968-1971), which gave her the chance to learn the intricacies of working at the Pentagon and the ability to advise and guide others within a large and mission-driven organization.

In 1971, Susan joined the Defense Security Assistance Agency (DSAA), an office that coordinated military equipment and training support to foreign military services. This job required knowledge of the Pentagon and its structures as well as the diplomatic skills to interact with senior U.S. officials and with foreign diplomats and military officers. Her time with DSAA was the longest time that she spent in one large part of the Pentagon, and she moved to a variety of positions as she continued to be promoted for the quality of her work.

Susan became the Personal and Confidential Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in 1989. Before her retirement in 1993, Susan was the Executive Secretary and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Pete Williams, who wrote on her performance appraisal “Susan Crummett is a dedicated professional in every way.

She is an extremely capable and competent member of my staff. She has brought this office a wealth of experience in dealing with real-time, fast-breaking, high-stakes problems. Her success has been due not only to her technical expertise, but also to her maturity and common sense...Her performance has been exemplary in all respects.”

In April 1993, Susan was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service by then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney.

Susan had a long and rewarding—and well-deserved—retirement. She worked as office manager at Auto Buying Service, a family-owned business in Fairfax. Her greatest pleasure in retirement was caring for and feeding friends and family members at her home in Burke.

Susan made an impact on everyone who knew her. Countless neighborhood children considered her a second mom, or mom away from mom.

We all miss her.