Susan Kay Burkhart

Susan Kay Burkhart, a beloved wife, mother, sister and friend, passed away peacefully at home on January 12 in the warm embrace of her family after a long and courageous battle against metastatic breast cancer. Her family surrounded her as she slipped her earthly bonds.

Born in a Detroit, Michigan suburb to Robert and Evelyn Burkhart, Susan was the fourth of five children and first girl in her family. As a teenager, Susan flourished academically, skied for her high school and cultivated a lifelong love of rhetoric on the debate team. Susan was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan and a passionate Wolverines fan (Ohio State fans need not attend her celebration of life). She believed Ann Arbor to be the center of the universe. After finishing law school, Susan fled her lifelong enemy - the cold - and moved to North Carolina.

Susan practiced law in Raleigh for nearly 40 years, the last 29 of which were as a founding partner of Cranfill, Sumner & Hartzog. Her intense focus and legendary intellect earned her many professional accolades, the last of which being the North Carolina Bar Association Insurance Law Section’s inaugural Distinguished Service Award. Over the course of her career, she was named to The Best Lawyers in America, recognized as a North Carolina Super Lawyer, and was widely regarded as one of the state’s leading insurance coverage attorneys. Susan served as Chair of the Litigation Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina and Wake County Bar Associations, as well as various other Bar Committees.

Susan was preceded in death by both her parents. She is survived by her husband of nearly 39 years, Dan Higgins, their son, Cameron, and their daughter, Allison (Chris Boyle). She is also survived by her brothers (Tom, Ted and Terry), her sister, Nancy, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.

Susan’s true legacy, though, is rooted in the humor, humility, and zest for life that animated her days. She passionately pursued fun and always ensured the people around her were had the best time possible. Susan loved her family, live music, a moderately challenging hike with a fantastic view, Bald Head Island’s beautiful beaches, sunsets at her cottage in Orange County, Virginia, tubing on the mighty Rapidan River, a tasty beer, travel, and adventure in most any form (as long as it wouldn’t be too cold). A masterful gardener, Susan spent many weekends tending to her flowers and listening to rock and roll, then enjoying the fruits of her labor while sipping a large gin and tonic on the back porch. She loved art and undertook a personal quest to see every publicly displayed painting by Johannes Vermeer.

But as much as anything else, Susan loved to laugh, which she did right until the end. She faced cancer with dignity and did not let it rule her life. Susan’s strength and grace throughout her fight with her disease-- especially during the last twelve months - inspired all who knew her.

Susan’s family wishes to acknowledge the unflagging support of her closest friends, her Cards Club girlfriends, her fellow Mah Jongg-ers, and all the others who steadfastly supported her and her family throughout the last, difficult year of her journey. Her family also wishes to acknowledge the care and treatment she received at the Duke Cancer Center in Durham that made it possible for her to hold her disease at bay for an odds-beating six years. Lastly, her family also thanks the team at Transitions Lifecare for the thoughtful and attentive end of life care they provided.

In keeping with Susan’s wishes, there will be no formal service. Instead, her family and close friends will gather for a Celebration of Life in the near future.

In lieu of flowers, Susan would want you to honor her memory by seeing some live music, hiking to a spectacular overlook, or committing a random act of kindness. Failing any of those, make a gift to the charity of your choice – she especially liked the Triangle Land Conservancy.

Susan was a beacon of joy who radiated love - for her family, friends and life itself - and her memory will be a source of perpetual light

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh.