complications of Alzheimer’s disease with her loving family by her side. Sue is survived
by her husband of 41 years, Ted Kurland, and her two children, Andrew and Lisa.
Susan grew up as an only child to Gene and Tina Wilson in the small town of Lake
Providence, Louisiana. She graduated from Louisiana State University in 1968 with a
B.Ed. and was an enduring fan of LSU football.
Upon graduation, Sue moved to Houston, Texas, where she was recruited by Houston
ISD and later joined Askew Elementary’s new magnet school for the gifted and talented.
At Askew, she found her calling teaching 4th and 5th-grade English and math,
embarking on a lifelong, fulfilling, and distinguished career in education that lasted 48
continuous years— without an absence except for two maternity leaves. Sue loved her
work and dedicated herself to her students and coworkers. When she retired in 2016,
HISD honored her for her remarkably long and dedicated service.
Sue was always motivated to make the classroom learning experience more effective
and enjoyable for her students. She has always worked to improve her teaching skills
through post-graduate courses in education and psychology at The University of
Houston and other educational venues. Selected as Askew’s Lead Teacher, Sue was
responsible for attending workshops to learn new and innovative teaching strategies,
which she would then present to the entire faculty. Sue initiated and ran Askew’s
Number Sense and Math Olympiad programs until she retired. She spent countless
hours with students after school. Her teams participated in competitions within HISD
and across Texas, where they frequently won first and second place. Over the years,
former students often dropped by her classroom to personally thank Sue for the impact
she made on them. Her warmth and kindness engendered a lasting endearment from
those she worked with and taught.
As a wife, Sue and Ted did everything as a team. Sue was always present, engaged,
and eager to get involved with his latest house project, especially if it was one of her
suggestions. She would often hang out with Ted in his woodworking shop or studio. She
was an ever-present inspiration for him to do the very best he could possibly do with
every project.
On the weekends, you could find Sue in the yard, building or tending to her flower beds,
on the sewing machine sewing all sorts of things for the house or the children, or
cooking a terrific Cajun dish. Her most fulfilling joy, though, was raising Andrew and
Lisa. Because Sue grew up playing the piano, she encouraged her children to take up
an instrument—Andrew with the violin, Lisa with the dulcimer, and later the clarinet. She
never missed a family activity, cheered at Andrew’s Little League games, and
chaperoned Lisa’s Girl Scout meetings. She also loved a fun game of Scrabble with the
family.
As Andrew’s 4th-grade English teacher, Sue discovered his interest in writing, guided
his development, and was always there to share her keen eye for editing. Sue
dedicated herself to producing the best possible outcomes for Lisa, who was born deaf.
Because of Sue’s efforts, Lisa was among the first to receive a cochlear implant in the
mid-90s, when the technology was new and controversial. She became involved with
the Texas Hearing Institute, devoting herself to learning and championing all aspects of
hearing and speech development, which contributed to Lisa’s outstanding success.
Sue Kurland will be remembered as a loving, caring, nurturing wife, mother, and
teacher. She had an extraordinary gift of ever-present kindness and positive energy, felt
and recognized by her friends, students, and colleagues. Her radiant spirit will be
profoundly missed.
Donations in memory of Susan L Kurland can be made to: Alzheimer’s Disease
Research, 22512 Gateway Dr., Clarksburg MD, 20871or Online at brightfocus.org or
to: Texas Hearing Institute at texashearing.org.
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