Susan Margret Donn

Born on October 21, 1949 in Canton, Ohio, Susan was a woman who wore seeming innumerable hats throughout her life but the one throughline was how deeply and passionately she cared about others. After completing her first year of college at The Ohio State University (Go Bucks), she moved to that other midwestern state up north and finished her undergraduate degree at Western Michigan University, where she studied Anthropology. She also earned her Masters’ Degree with honors from WMU. In the years that followed, Susan moved from Kalamazoo to Detroit to Stevens Point, Wisconsin to Albuquerque, New Mexico before finally settling in Raleigh, North Carolina where she lived from 1979 until the time of her death on December 21, 2022.

Professionally, Susan worked as a research assistant and a writer and editor, co-authoring scientific publications about reproductive toxicology and respiratory disease epidemiology. She utilized her impeccable organizational skills to work with numerous businesses to improve their operational efficiency. But her biggest professional impact came from her years of serving as an educator. She worked with the community as an educator for Planned Parenthood, in both New Mexico and North Carolina. She guided college students while serving as a health educator at Meredith College. She inspired elementary, middle, and high school students at Trilogy School, both as a science and health teacher and as a tutor. Susan was also deeply involved in all the various communities she joined throughout her life. She worked as a youth group advisor and religious school teacher at Temple Beth Or. She served on the board of her Raleigh neighborhood’s citizen advisory committee and actively participated in the work done to shape the Six Forks corridor.

But Susan’s biggest role was being a mom. While her daughters, Andrea Rose and Emily Kaplan, were growing up, she only worked part time and devoted herself to making sure that Andrea and Emily could have everything they needed. She drove the girls to innumerable swim practices, piano lessons, and dance rehearsals. She attended countless swim meets. She cooked so very many meals. She was their unfailing, unshakeable cheerleader. She also cared for so many other people – her friends, fellow Temple Beth Or members, and even people she met in line at the grocery store. Her heart was giant and her capacity to worry about other people limitless. Her boundless energy and spirit had dimmed somewhat over the past few years since her Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia diagnoses, but her face still lit up when she got to spend time with her four granddaughters, Maya and Ellie Rose, and Charlotte and Madison Kaplan. As someone who claimed she always wanted sons, she also cherished her sons-in-law, Sam Rose and Jeremy Kaplan. She will be deeply missed by everyone who had the good fortune to get to know her. Funeral services will be held at Temple Beth Or, 5315 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, NC on Friday, December 23rd at 10am with interment to follow at Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Temple Beth Or, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, or the Lewy Body Dementia Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownwynneeastmillbrook.com for the Donn family.