Susan Gail Healton

Sue was born on October 25th, 1948 in Hagerstown, Maryland to June Mary Pierce and Vikrama (Vic) Nainsingh Thacker.

She graduated from Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia in 1966 then moved to Kokomo, Indiana to join her parents and younger sister who had relocated the year before when Vic became president of the Dirilyte Company.

She was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kokomo in 1967. Here she learned of her loving Heavenly Father and developed a relationship with her savior, Jesus Christ. She served diligently in multiple positions in the church; it was the perfect place for her to share her innumerable gifts and abilities – benefitting the lives of many. It was also there that she met the love of her life: the quiet, brilliant, and handsome Robert Lawrence Healton.

She and Larry raised five daughters: Peggy Frye of Kokomo, Indiana; Dr. Melinda (Dr. Stuart) White of Lafayette, Indiana; Andrea Healton currently of Kokomo, Indiana; Tamara (Todd) Keller of Carmel, Indiana; and Kimberly (Josh) Walker of American Fork, Utah. Sue and Larry provided the safety and love that was lacking in Sue’s childhood home and blessed their daughters with their many skills and talents that brought magic, music, creativity, compassion, laughter, and love of literature into their lives.

Having struggled with a learning disability through childhood, Sue didn’t learn to read until she was a young mother watching Sesame Street with her girls. Little was known about learning disabilities at the time, and she developed strategies to help young people and adults learn how to overcome them. She was one of the founding members of the ACLD in Kokomo and tutored students at Indiana University in Kokomo and in her home using the methods she’d pioneered.

Sue earned her Realtor’s License and later became a broker. She was a passionate advocate for her clients and relished helping them find their perfect homes.

She was an avid crafter and exquisite seamstress – she could make anything she put her mind to.

She lived to serve and was an educator through and through – teaching classes on everything from emergency preparedness to dehydrating food, making yogurt, or baking bread.

She deeply cherished the times spent with her grandchildren and wished she could have made more memories with them and her great-grandchildren.

After graduating high school, she took nursing classes in Ohio and later spent a semester at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Then at the age of 53, Sue began taking more college courses and was recognized as an Outstanding Student by the Computer Graphics Technology Department of Purdue University School of Technology at Kokomo. She was highly skilled at computer graphics and started Memories for Always to restore photos for those hoping to preserve them.

Sue was preceded in death by her parents and three siblings.

She is survived by her husband and five daughters, 11 grandchildren, six bonus grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and six grand-dogs.

The assistance we were blessed with during the last 16 months has meant the world to us. We wish to thank the amazing staff at Southern Care Hospice for their generosity, consideration, and dedication. We also wish to thank Angela Ennis for providing mom with immeasurable care and concern.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Riley Children’s Hospital or the ASPCA in Sue’s memory.

A viewing will be at Ellers Mortuary (3400 S Webster St.) on Sunday, July 12th from 4-6pm (family may arrive an hour earlier.) On Monday, July 13th there will be an hour for viewing at 9:00am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (332 W County Road 300 S.) The funeral will begin at 10:00am followed by a graveside service at Albright Cemetery.