Susan Allen Ward

Susan was born on August 18, 1950, to Thomas Edward Allen and Hildred Odene Burgess Allen in Albemarle, NC. After living briefly in Texas and Virginia, Susan’s family moved to Thomasville, NC, where they lived for most of Susan’s youth. A graduate of Thomasville High School in 1968, Susan received the Kathryn Smith Reynolds scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on a full academic scholarship. She graduated summa cum laude in 1972.

While Susan was an intern at Thomasville Furniture Industries during college, she met and began dating Chip Ward, who worked as a credit manager at TFI. They married in 1972 and moved to Jamestown, where they would eventually welcome two children into their family – a daughter, Kyrin, and a son, Taylor.

Susan began her career as a high school English teacher in 1972, teaching English at High Point Central High School. During her twelve years at HPC, she also served as the Speech and Debate Coach. She loved to tell stories of her time with her speech and debate kids as they traveled the country to attend competitions for the National Forensic League.

After having her second child in 1985, Susan stepped away from the classroom to try her hand at entrepreneurship, opening Stitch Crossing, a cross stitch store in High Point. Owning the store with her good friend gave her the flexibility to try something new and the time to be fully engaged in her children’s lives. She served as PTA president at more than one school and also served as secretary for many years on the board of Sedgefield Swim and Racquet Club, the local pool where her kids swam. Susan also taught an adult Sunday School class at Jamestown United Methodist Church for a number of years and eventually served on the Jamestown Public Library Board of Trustees. She played a lot of tennis during this time and even dabbled in the world of law, serving as a legal assistant at her sister’s law firm in Greensboro.

In 1996, she decided to follow her true passion and go back to the classroom. She taught English at Ragsdale High School in Jamestown until her retirement in 2015, serving as Department Chair and mentoring many young teachers throughout her time at Ragsdale. She firmly believed that teachers should be life-long learners and adapted her own methodology accordingly to suit the changing times. Her favorite course to teach was AP Literature as it gave her a chance to work with seniors, helping them to make connections between literature and life before they stepped out into the real world. It would be impossible to count the number of minds she impacted during her years in the classroom.

As much as she loved her students, her two children were the joys of her life. She poured herself into their interests, supporting them every step of the way throughout their childhoods and well into adulthood and parenthood. She mentored Kyrin when she followed in her footsteps and became a high school English teacher, and she anxiously awaited daily calls from each of her kids so she could hear about everything going on in their lives, from the big moments to the mundane. She loved her son-in-law Tim and her daughter-in-law Laura like they were her own. Family truly meant everything to her.

A magnet for her grandchildren, Susan frequently had one or more of her four grandchildren clamoring for her attention. She loved playing with them when they were little, whether it was through imaginary play, tickle sessions, reading books, playing games, or doing puzzles. Susan perhaps loved her role as “Merle,” as the children affectionately called her, more than any of her other roles. She listened to their antics, gave advice without being pushy, and always had the wittiest responses. When one of the kids was talking to her, they had her full attention. She was special like that.

Susan loved to spend time with her family and was fortunate to travel quite a bit with them over the last few years, enjoying many tropical locations. She also spent lots of time at Holden Beach and at her vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina. No matter where she was, Susan enjoyed reading a good book, playing and gardening in her yard, or watching sports. We always knew where she was because she hummed or sang as she moved about the house. A lover of words (big words!), history, music, and literature, Susan was always up for a lively discussion. Her mantra was to think for yourself, and she challenged both her students and family members to be critical thinkers. She was an amazing conversationalist and enjoyed finding ways to connect with others. Susan never met a stranger.

Susan was predeceased by her father, Tom Allen. She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Leslie A. “Chip” Ward, Jr; her daughter Kyrin (Tim) Hellinger of Holly Springs, NC; her son Taylor (Laura) Ward of Alpharetta, GA; four grandchildren: Thomas Ward Hellinger, Emily Christine Ward, Jackson Neil Hellinger, and Audrey Susanne Ward; her mother, Dene Allen of Thomasville; sister Sherri Allen of Jamestown; sister Lori (Mark) Neese of Jamestown; nephew Peyton Neese of Hickory; sister-in-law Lauren (Mike) Smith of Charlotte; brother-in-law Brad (Audrey) Ward of Grapevine, Texas; nephew Hunter Smith of Charlotte; niece Sherydan Smith of Charlotte; niece Jessica (George) Ward-Coffman of Flower Mound, Texas; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the GBM Foundation, American Cancer Society, or AuthoraCare Collective of Greensboro. A private Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.