Suellen F. Pometto

Suellen F. Pometto, Ph.D., 70, of Anderson, SC, died in her home on February 26, 2024, from cancer. She was born on October 19, 1953, in Covington, KY, to Robert Forsythe Floyd and Maysie McDowell Williams Floyd.

During her childhood, Suellen lived in Dayton and New Carlisle, OH, Depew and Lancaster, NY, and Arlington and Sterling, VA. She met her husband, Anthony L. Pometto III (Tony), while attending college at George Mason University, where she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in biology. She and Tony were married on January 8, 1977.

Suellen was a loving and devoted wife and mother who dedicated her life to raising five children. The family lived for twenty years in Boone, IA, but also spent time in Moscow, ID, and Anderson, SC. After her children were grown, she pursued several opportunities to continue her education. She received a master’s degree in education from Clemson University and then went on to also receive her master’s and doctorate degrees in entomology also from Clemson. She taught ENT 2000 for the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and developed and taught Honors 2060 Butterfly Diversity for the Honors College at Clemson.

Suellen had a great love for nature including animals, plants, and wildlife, but she had a special love for butterflies. Her siblings remember her from a young age spending time outdoors with a butterfly net in hand. That practice did not stop when she became a mother, and she continued to add to her insect and butterfly collections throughout her whole life.

Suellen excelled in sewing and music. She was always ready to fix clothing items that needed small adjustments, and she enjoyed making quilts first for her own children and then for her 11 grandchildren. She taught her children how to play piano and always enjoyed singing alto harmonies, mostly at church.

Suellen was a practicing Catholic who worshiped at St. Joseph Church in Anderson, SC. She was often seen attending daily mass, praying the rosary, teaching 6th and 7th grade faith formation, and participating in Bible studies with her husband. Whether it was through formal classes or by welcoming friends and her children’s friends into her home, she taught through her witness what it means to be a true disciple of Christ, and her witness has left a mark in many hearts.

Suellen is survived by three siblings and their spouses including Mary Hensley (Carl), Elaine Wilkinson (Rich), and Robert Floyd (Brenda). She is also survived by her loving husband, Anthony L. Pometto III; her children and their spouses including Angela Pometto, Joseph Pometto (Ruth Ann), Mary Ann Stange, Tony Pometto (Maria), and Theresa Padilla (Joshua); 11 grandchildren including Roman, Judah, Silas, and Nora Pometto; Sophia, Valerie, and Cassie Stange; Jerome and Caroline Pometto; and Eliza and Augustine Padilla; and many nieces and nephews.

A visitation and wake for Suellen will be held at McDougald Funeral Home, 2211 N. Main St., Anderson, SC, on March 6 from 5-7:30 PM with a rosary to begin at 7:00 PM. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph Church, 1200 Cornelia Rd, Anderson, SC, on March 7 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to St. Clare House of Greenville, SC. Checks can be mailed to the address below or online donations can be made at https://www.stclareshomesc.org/donate.

Checks can be made out to “St. Clare’s Home” and sent to:

St Clare's Home

1754 Woodruff Rd #170

Greenville, SC 29607