Mary Sue Sumner

Sue Williams Sumner, age 86, died on July 25 in Nashville. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Billy Taylor Sumner, and her son, Billy Taylor Sumner, Jr. She is survived by her two daughters, Kim (Burke) Hardin of Nashville and Shellie (Rick) Unger of Wayne, Pennsylvania, and four grandchildren, JB and Taylor Hardin and Emily and Trey Unger.

She was born and raised in Donelson, the only child of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. (Jack) Williams. After graduating from Donelson High School, she attended Ward-Belmont, and then Vanderbilt, where she earned a B.A. in mathematics in 1946. While at Vanderbilt, she was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She then obtained a Masters degree in biostatistics from Columbia University in New York, and worked for eight years as a public health statistician in the Tennessee Department of Public Health. She later taught public health statistics at Peabody and Vanderbilt.

After her family, her passions were gardening and horticulture. At their home in Oak Hill, where she lived for almost 50 years, she cultivated an herb garden with over 150 species, which she proudly shared with friends and horticultural organizations. She was a founding member of the Herb Society of Nashville. She and her husband were lifelong supporters of Cheekwood, and in 2000 they were awarded the Cheekwood Society Award for their many contributions to that institution. She was also active in many other community organizations, including the Duncanwood School, now First Steps, and was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church, Nashville.

Visitation will be held at First Presbyterian Church from 10-10:45 on Saturday, July 30, followed by a Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary of the church. There will be a private interment in the columbarium of the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, Cheekwood, or the charity of one’s choice. Arrangements under the direction of Marshall Donnelly Combs Funeral Home, Nashville, Tennessee.