Susan Benfield Robberts

Susan Elizabeth Benfield King Robberts, 81, of Charlotte, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 28, 2026. She was a beloved mother, a Mimi, and a friend whose warmth, generosity, and joyful spirit will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Susan was born on August 4, 1944, in Charlotte, NC to Carl and Theo Benfield. She grew up on Dilworth Road East and attended Sedgefield Junior High and Myers Park High School, where she was a cheerleader and well known for her outgoing personality. She later attended Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina, graduating in just three years with a degree in Business Administration.

After college, Susan began her career with Eastern Airlines as a reservation specialist. She later married James S. King, and together they welcomed three daughters. They enjoyed bowling, time with family at Lake Norman and Charlotte, sports at NC State, and traveling. Susan treasured being a mother above all else. She was active in the Junior Women's Club and Garden Club and was an avid bridge player who loved hosting duplicate bridge games in her home.

Determined to continue learning, Susan returned to school to develop computer and secretarial skills. While taking classes, she worked as a kindergarten aide at Beverly Woods Elementary School. She went on to serve in several Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, including Cochrane Middle School and Eastover Elementary, before finding her home at McKee Road Elementary as the school's financial secretary. Susan was known for her dedication, unholy attention to detail, strong work ethic, and unwavering commitment to her school community. She built lifelong friendships with her McKee Road family and retired with enough accumulated unused sick leave to earn an additional year of retirement service—a testament to both her health and her remarkable dedication.

Later in life, Susan married Richard A. Robberts. During their years together, they enjoyed sailing, traveling throughout the country, entertaining friends, and embracing new adventures. Although their marriage eventually ended, Susan treasured many of the experiences and friendships from that chapter of her life.

Susan found joy in life's simple pleasures. She loved working in her yard, picking up sticks, tending her vegetable garden, canning fresh produce, and planting flowers—skills and passions she learned from her father. She had an enduring dislike for sweet gum tree balls, snakes of any kind, and roaches. Her cats and dogs brought her endless happiness, and she delighted in shopping, especially at art and craft shows. She also enjoyed her knitting and reading groups, friends from the neighborhood, solitaire, and spending time with her Charlotte Bunko group.

A gifted cook and talented seamstress, Susan learned both skills from her mother. Her homemade cheesecakes and sourdough rolls became family favorites, and it was often said she could even make leather taste good. No one ever left her kitchen hungry. She also had a wonderful eye for decorating, filling her home with vivid colors, whimsical artwork, and welcoming spaces where family naturally gathered.

Susan's laughter was unforgettable, and her personality could light up any room. She never met a stranger and could turn a grocery store checkout line into a meaningful conversation. Her kindness, generosity, and genuine interest in others were among her greatest gifts. She loved her children and grandchildren beyond measure and believed deeply in caring for family and showing up whenever someone needed help.

She passed along her creativity to her grandchildren, teaching them embroidery, cross-stitching, ceramics, knitting, crocheting, drawing, and countless other crafts. Whether they were decorating cookies, dyeing Easter eggs, creating handmade projects, or playing an imaginative game with them, every visit with Mimi became a cherished memory. The holidays at Susan's home were truly unforgettable. Her beautifully decorated Christmas trees and festive home reflected the joy she found in celebrating with those she loved. Family and friends eagerly anticipated her homemade caramels, cheese biscuits, cheesecakes, and the Christmas gatherings that became treasured traditions.

Susan's family carries forward her resilience, humor, creativity, and deep commitment to caring for others. Her influence lives on in the stories shared around holiday tables, the traditions she created, and the way her children and grandchildren continue to love and care for one another.

Though Alzheimer's disease gradually took many of her memories, it never diminished the love she inspired in those around her. Her family chooses to remember not the illness that marked her final years, but the vibrant, generous, and unforgettable woman she was throughout her life.

Susan’s final years were spent at The Post at Providence where she received phenomenal care from the men and women caregivers. We are forever grateful to them for allowing our mom to maintain her dignity through her disease and the assurance that she was being cared for properly. She was well loved in that home and she knew it.

We were blessed to be loved deeply by our mom, and her legacy will continue to live on in every life she touched.

Susan is survived by her daughters, Wendy (Stuart) Wardlaw of Charlotte, North Carolina; Amy (Lee) Furches of Arlington, Virginia; and Christi Parshall of Boydton, Virginia. She is also survived by her cherished grandchildren, Leigh Wardlaw; Haley, Sydney, and Katherine Parshall; and Sarah, Erin, and Jackie Furches. She is also survived by her sister, Patricia (Gene) Brown of Hickory, North Carolina; her niece, Beth Cunha; her nephews, Philip, Chris, and Brian Brown; and her second cousin, Robbie (Jim) Nash of Beavercreek, Ohio, great nieces/nephews Meredith and Morgan Cunha, Madelyn and Hudson Brown, and Harrison Williams, third cousins Kate Nash, Elizabeth Nash, Susan was preceded in death by her parents Theo and Carl Benfield and by her beloved grandson, Stephen Wardlaw.

Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 11am in the Sanctuary of Covenant Presbyterian Church located at 1000 East Morehead Street in Charlotte, NC. A catered luncheon will be served afterward in the Fellowship Hall.

In honor of Susan's life and legacy, the family suggests that those wishing to make a gesture of remembrance consider a memorial donation to the Alzheimer's Association at https://www.alz.org.