Susan Norman Warren

Susan Ann Norman was born on December 11, 1942 to Clarence and Dorothy Norman in Vandalia, Illinois. She was the youngest of six children with four brothers and one sister. She was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Houston, Texas. She graduated from Bellaire High School and Tulsa University where she received her bachelor’s of education degree.

She met her husband Donald H. Warren while teaching junior high science in Houston, Texas. They were married on June 25, 1966. They enjoyed a few years as empty nesters until welcoming their first child, Diana, into the world in 1970. A few years later, in 1974, her son, David was born. Susan took a break from working to stay home with her children for several years. As a stay at home mom, she was very active making creative projects such as ceramics, sewing her children clothes and costumes, baking and cooking, and anything else that sparked their/her imagination. She also volunteered in their many activities.

Once David went to kindergarten Susan decided to return to the work force and sold nuts and bolts along the Houston ship channel to Oil companies. While Houston was her and Don’s home most of their lives, they wanted a change and decided to move to Austin in 1983. After settling in Austin, Susan went back to teaching middle school science at Hill Country Middle School, putting her whole heart into her work. While there, she won the Spirit of Education award for the Eanes School District. As her children matured and moved up in grades, Susan, coincidentally, followed their path to new places. She started teaching high school science at Westlake High School and inspired many students well past their college years.

Once her own children were in college, Susan was ready for a new challenge and decided to quit teaching and pursue a career in nursing. She went back to school and earned a Masters of Nursing degree from UT Austin. Her caring and compassion was evident by her willingness to work at hospice with terminally ill patients as well as working as a floor nurse at the old Brackenridge hospital. Her experience in nursing led her to new opportunities advocating for the well-being of people and she eventually became the head of Safe Kids Traffic Safety program for TxDot. She loved helping families with their car seat installations and that experience prepared her for her next great role in life, grandparent.

Her daughter, Diana, and her husband Jimmy, welcomed their daughter Robin in 2000. Two more grandchildren would follow: Drew in 2003 to Diana and family, and in 2006 Lyndon to David and family. Susan retired from TxDot in 2009 to enjoy her golden years with her family.

Retirement did not slow Susan down one bit. She welcomed her local grandkids over for regular Friday night sleepovers for many years at their Grammy & Granddaddy’s house. She also volunteered at their school, Mills elementary and at Austin Pets Alive. In addition, she took up kayaking and made new friends with her outdoor activities which also included hiking and birdwatching.

In addition to loving the beauty Austin had to offer, Susan’s other place near and dear to her heart was Estes Park, Colorado. She and Don started going there in 1967. They continued the tradition with their children and grandchildren for the remainder of her life. She LOVED hiking, seeing the wildlife and scenery, and everything else the area had to offer.

It was always presumed that she would live well into her 90’s because of her positive outlook and physical health. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with dementia in her 70’s and battled the disease for several years until her peaceful passing. She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Don, her daughter Diana and her family, and son David and his family. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations in her honor to the Age of Central Texas for their wonderful programs she benefited from during her later years.