Susan Wilma Harrison

Susan Wilma Harrison, age 88, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 11, 2011, in Edmonds, Washington. Seattle native, she was born on January 6, 1923 to William and Catherine (Hughes) Humason. She was part of what is known as "The Greatest Generation", a term coined by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the generation who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression, and then went on to fight in World War II, as well as those whose productivity within the war's home front made a decisive material contribution to the war effort. She raised her children during the 50's & 60's, providing accounts of this time to her family:

At the end of her autobiography, she said,

“I feel that I lived in the very best of times. Seattle was a great place to grow up. There were about 600,000 people living here during my childhood. There were no crowds, the air was clean and the water was unpolluted. There was a vacant lot on almost every block on which to play. We went to schools in our neighborhood and respected our teachers. One girl got pregnant in high school and it was a full blown scandal.

“The depression taught us the value of money, and not many people my age waste it. We don't buy things until we can afford them, and we don't borrow money unless it is an emergency.

“Even World War II was a very exciting time. We all discovered a patriotism we didn't know we had. We learned to do without many things. Almost everything was rationed, so we appreciated what we could get. For example, we were allowed two pairs of shoes a year, so we took good care of them.

“Today I look at the crowded freeways, the prevalence of crime, the children who grow up too fast and the erosion of society in general, and I am glad I lived when I did.”

Above all Susan was a mom. She treasured the job of raising children, and it didn't stop when they turned 18. Her door was always open, and the nurturing didn't stop until she became too ill and her brain “didn't work right” as she put it.

When grandchildren came along, she was the best grandma in the world. She loved having her grandkids come over and spend the night. She was a wonderful cook, and had her children and their children over all the time for her delicious meals.

There was always a dog or cat in Susan's house. She loved animals, especially dogs and made many donations to organizations such as the Humane Society.

She was so organized and was always working on some project, either on the house or her sewing and needlepoint. Susan could figure out how to fix things and was very mechanical. Now, after her life has ended, she continues to impress us with her planning and organizing, since everything at Acacia was taken care of years and years ago.

One of the things that defined Susan was her hearing loss. From the age of 16 she was about 75% deaf. That fact made her rather shy and introverted. But when you got to know her, you realized she had a keen sense of humor and was interested in all sorts of things. She became quite good at reading lips without any training at all. She loved to read and write, and when the internet came out, she was one of the few people her age to get an email account. She wrote emails every single day. In 1992 she wrote a biography of her life and her family's history, going back to 1840.

When Susan became a divorcee, she decided to find a job, even though it was difficult with her hearing loss. Finally a place at Sears became available, handling the mail, and she remained there for 13 years. For several of those years she took the bus to work and had to transfer in downtown Seattle on 1st Avenue. During the winter it was cold, dark and sometimes dangerous. But she prevailed in order to make life comfortable for her family. Her children never went without and lived in a lovely home on Queen Anne. Susan made sure her three children were well dressed and cared for, even if she had to skip buying things for herself.

In 1972 she married R.J. Harrison. By then her children were grown and she was able to leave Sears and have an easier life. They traveled quite a bit and had wonderful times together. Jay died in 2002.

Now Susan is up there with her parents and brother, son Paul who died almost 7 years ago, husband R.J. Harrison and many many others who went before. We all miss you, Susan.

Memorial Services to honor and celebrate the life of Susan will be held on Saturday, January 7th, 2012 at Acacia Funeral Home Chapel, located at 14951 Bothell Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98155 206-362-5525 at 2PM. A time of continued sharing and reception will follow at Acacia Reception Hall.

Please join us in remembering a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who touched many lives with her unconditional love, support, and strength. Through this site, we invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with our family.

Arrangements under the direction of Acacia Memorial Park & Funeral Home, Seattle, Washington.