Susan Marie (Hanson) Yearout, 75, Birmingham (June 1945 - January 14, 2021). Susan passed away after a long struggle with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), which is a type of dementia. She was also recently diagnosed with COVID-19, which contributed to her death.
From Birmingham, Susan was a proud graduate of Shades Valley High School in 1963 and Auburn University in 1967. At Auburn, Susan was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She was passionate about all things Auburn, especially football. In December 1963, she was selected “Loveliest of the Plains” by The Auburn Plainsman, Auburn’s student newspaper. She obtained a master’s degree in education from UAB. With that degree, she spent many years teaching special education in the Birmingham School System. Susan was a passionate teacher and tutored many neighborhood children throughout her career. Susan also helped many people in need through the Crisis Center Hotline. When taking calls - often late at night - she offered a calm voice with helpful words that guided those who needed it most.
Susan was a loving mother and grandmother, caring sister, loyal friend, generous spirit, dedicated teacher, avid reader, dog lover, passionate traveler, efficient packer, finicky eater, estate sale mercenary, art collector, devoted ebayer, hater of New Coke®, relentless couponer, who also had a great, albeit sometimes quirky, sense of humor and an unmistakable laugh. This is “exactly” the way she would want to be remembered. Her legacy. May her memory be eternal.
Susan was an athlete and fierce competitor. She particularly enjoyed racquetball and tennis where she relied on her quick feet and tenacious approach to the game. She appreciated travelling to other countries and specially to Traverse City, Michigan where she loved the cherries, lake, small town, art, and festivals.
Susan cherished books and read them voraciously. Out of that love, she developed relationships with people in the reading community and was eventually nominated and selected to sit on the board of the Birmingham-Southern College’s Annual Writer’s Conference. She relished this role and the access it provided to her to authors she adored. She often gifted some of the books she had signed at these conferences to family and friends. As part of her role, she would eagerly volunteer to host the authors and ushered them to the associated functions. As other similar conferences were cultivated, Susan was often consulted about how to create successful ones. Even though later in life she struggled finishing books because of FTD, she still found joy in reading by focusing on each word, each sentence, each paragraph rather than the full arc of the story. Of course, that is what she enjoyed most about reading anyway.
Susan was also passionate about estate sales and had a keen eye for valuable items. If it was Saturday or Sunday, then surely, she was relentlessly moving from one sale to another. She had a knack for finding quality undiscovered gems. Several items had significant historical value and were donated to various museums, including the Birmingham Museum of Art - where she also volunteered.
Susan is survived by her three children Bill (Kim), Jason (Lauren), and Audrey Dupont (Steve), former spouse Gusty Yearout, grandchildren Augusta, Zoë, Alexandra, Alister, Noelle, siblings Paula Brentnall (Sam), and Richard Hanson. Susan is also survived by many other loved ones, including nephews, nieces, god children, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Neil and Nell Hanson, sister Becky Peterson (Jim), sister-in-law Nancy Hanson (Richard), and Emma, her faithful canine companion.
Because of the COVID-19 virus, a private family-only service will take place Sunday January 24, 2021, at 2:00 p.m. at Elmwood Cemetery. Once COVID-19 vaccinations are widely available, the family will hold a memorial service open to all friends and family to celebrate Susan’s life. As many of you know, Susan suffered from frontotemporal degeneration. The research into FTD is persistently underfunded. In lieu of flowers (you likely know how she felt about cut flowers), please consider a donation in her name to https://www.bluefieldproject.org, which dedicates research to FTD.
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