Susan M. Thomas

Susan Buckwalter Mitchell Thomas lost her battle with dementia and Parkinson’s disease on April 28, 2021. She was a respected teacher, volunteer, beloved wife, mother, sister and grandmother. Born on February 2, 1942 on Groundhog’s Day in West Reading, PA, Susan was the daughter of the late Lt. Col. Charles and Mrs. Mildred Buckwalter.

Her life was eventful traveling to Japan during her father’s military career. Susan made Columbia her home and received her Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences from the University of South Carolina. She was a lifelong Gamecock fan. She was a gifted teacher and botanist, having taught students from middle/high school and on the college level. She fed her thirst for knowledge by successfully completing Dr. Wade Batson’s Comprehension Botany course at USC and the Gross Anatomy course at the Medical USC in Charleston. She was a member of the South Carolina Academy of Sciences and judged countless science fairs. In her earlier years, she enjoyed being involved in politics. After retiring, she devoted many years of service to the SC Cancer Alliance. She was a member of the Pearls and enjoyed her time spent with the women of the organization as a Pearl Sister. Susan loved music and loved singing Silent Night in German. She would even sing for her fellow shoppers at Kroger. Susan loved sitting by the fireplace with her beloved cat, Molly. She was fond of her walks in the woods, naming every plant along the way while looking for butterflies. She liked her yearly trips to North Myrtle Beach collecting sharks teeth and fossils. Susan was a very caring and generous soul. She volunteered with the Clown Ministry, dressing up in costume to visit and cheer hospital and nursing home patients. At Christmas, she would bake cookies for the entire neighborhood. She crafted elaborate Halloween costumes and sewed entire wardrobes for her daughters’ dolls. Susan never met a stranger, enjoyed meeting new people and sharing her stories.

She is predeceased by her husband, George Mitchell and her sister, Sandra Frick-Helms. She is survived by her husband, Jimmy Thomas; her daughters, Linda Theus (Bob) and Leslie Cradlin (David); six grandchildren, Corey, Dillon, Michael, Winnie, Nicholas, and Henry; and siblings, Georgette Sandifer and David Buckwalter (Carol).

A memorial service will be held at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, May 15, 2021 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, 7600 Woodrow St., Irmo, SC.

The family would like to thank Susan’s loving caregivers at Oakleaf Village, Dr. McCloy, and the nurses at All Seasons Hospice.

Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, Chapin Chapel is honored to assist the family with arrangements.