Susan Stearns Scott

Susan was born on August 24, 1939, in Albany, NY but lived her early years in Schenectady, NY with her parents, Stewart Persons Stearns and Louise (Salisbury) Dutcher Stearns, and older brother Stewart, Jr. Early years were very happy and carefree, despite WWII and its aftermath, and with a strong emphasis on hard work and personal responsibility in family and community. Susan enjoyed a variety of sports growing up, especially ice skating, and with tennis as a family favorite, she became an avid player. Her family moved to Cambridge, Mass in 1955 when her father left General Electric and took a position as Business Manager at Radcliffe College. In Boston, Susan attended the Buckingham Browne & Nichols school and in 1961 she graduated from Wheaton College, in Norton Mass, where she and her daughter were able to attend her 40th reunion in 2011.

Susan married and became a young mother of two soon after college and volunteered in multiple northeast communities with the Junior League and in Atlanta, after a move to Dunwoody, GA in 1975. Her children’s lives and activities became the foremost part of life for many years. She enjoyed playing ALTA tennis for a time but became burdened with a variety of orthopedic issues requiring surgery at a young age. This took her out of rigorous activities and a few years after relocating to Atlanta she became divorced from her first husband of 17 years, William McClung, Sr.

Susan was known widely for her caring and heartfelt nature and in the following years, she became very involved with Dunwoody United Methodist Church, volunteering, singing in the choir and eventually became a Stephen Minister. In 1982, she met John Robert Scott, whom she was happily married to for 24 years, and although they faced many health challenges together, they were known by friends and family as a beacon of hope, strength, and perseverance. Susan spent much of her late adult years helping others, fundraising, and taking a keen interest in her family’s activities in Atlanta and on the West Coast. She and John loved to travel and she was also very proud of her New England heritage, which involved some very strong connections to key revolutionary war figures. This history became a fun topic during family gatherings, especially after she had moved her mother Louise to the Atlanta area in the late 1980’s. In her later years, she was challenged with mobility issues due to osteoarthritis and polymyositis but met these challenges with great stoicism and a positive attitude of gratitude and faithfulness.

Susan is predeceased by her parents and late brother Stewart P Stearns, Jr. (2007) of South Glens Falls, NY, and her late husband John R. Scott (2007), and stepson John R. Scott, Jr. (2022). She is survived by her son William S. McClung, Jr. of Dunwoody, GA; daughter Holly Reusing of Riverside, CA, and Thomas Reusing and granddaughters, Kendall and Emma Reusing; sister-in-law Christina Stearns and nieces Chrissie Drescher and Sara Stearns and family, of Vermont; stepdaughter Kathy Scott and Melanie Sherk of Petaluma, CA; daughter in law Mary Scott, and grandson Jack Scott, of Woodstock, GA, as well as many friends and extended family.

A celebration of life will be held at Dunwoody United Methodist Church at 2:00pm on Wednesday, October 19th in the chapel. The family will greet friends prior to the service in the church parlor at 1:00pm. It is requested that flowers be omitted and memorial contributions, if desired, may be made to Dunwoody United Methodist Church. Following the service, a dinner gathering will take place at Marlow’s Tavern from 4-6pm in Dunwoody Village for all who are able to attend.