Susan Kirtadze

Susan Marie Hassinger Kirtadze, 58, of Marietta, GA, passed away January 12th after a long battle with cancer. Susan was born in Memphis, TN on August 12, 1954 to Jack Phelps and Norma Shield Hassinger. She grew up on St. Simons Island, GA until her family moved to Pax River, MD in 1970. In 1972 she graduated from Saint Mary’s Academy in Leonardtown, MD and completed her education at the University of Maryland. After college, she first worked for the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, DC before beginning a successful career working for Amtrak’s legal department in their offices in New York, Baltimore and Chicago. Susan enjoyed her work with Amtrak and especially enjoyed the opportunity to live in different parts of the country.

In 1993 she married Koba Kirtadze, a dancer from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. They enjoyed traveling internationaly until their daughter Marika was born in 1994 and son Nicholas was born in 1998. In 2004, Susan was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma inferior vena cava cancer. In 2008, after a tough battle with the cancer, she retired from Amtrak as the Regional Director, Claims and Tort Litigation and moved with her family to Marietta, GA.

Mrs. Kirtadze is survived by her husband Koba, her daughter Marika Kirtadze and her son Nicholas Kirtadze all of Marietta; her father, Jack P. Hassinger, Sr, of Marietta; one brother Jack P. Hassinger, Jr., and his wife Sarah Doster Hassinger of Fredericksburg, VA; one sister, Sandra Hassinger of Marietta, seven nephews, three nieces and numerous relatives in England, Italy, Bahrain, Australia and New Zealand.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 19th at 11:00 AM, in the chapel of H. M. Patterson & Son Canton Hill, 1157 Old Canton Rd. NE, Marietta, GA. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 6-8 PM at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) Direct Research Foundation, P. O. B. 52697, Tulsa, OK 74152 or http://www.lmsdr.orgdonatenow.php.