Orlando - On Sunday, January 17, 2021, Susan Ussery Burry, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away at the age of 77. Susan was born on December 17, 1943, in Morristown, New Jersey. She moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, with her family during her high school years. As a strong, independent, single mother, Susan raised two daughters, Shellie and Dawn. She was a dedicated "band mom" in the 1980's for both daughters, known to all their friends as Mama Sue.

Susan earned her Bachelor's degree in 1984 as a nontraditional student and her Master's degree in 1990. She served as a model and inspiration of how higher education can transform a woman's future and the future of her children. Throughout her career in higher education, she inspired and aided students in earning degrees and made life-long friends with whom she continued to keep in touch.

On September 4, 1993, she married her amazing husband, Leonard Burry. Susan had a fighting spirit; she beat cancer twice in her lifetime. She was generous and giving of her time and resources. For many years, she knitted afghans for cancer patients who were going through treatment, baby blankets, and warm hats for children during the winter. Summers were often spent hosting "Oma Camp" with their grandchildren, Amethyst and Samantha. Susan loved all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren very much.

Susan was preceded in death by her father and mother, William and Dorothy Ussery, and her sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Charles Chisholm. She is survived by her husband, Leonard Burry, her brother, Robert Ussery, her daughters, Shellie Lewis (Rhonda) and Dawn Herrod (Teresa), her grandchildren, Amethyst Castro and Samantha Herrod, and her great-grandchildren, Kyler Castro and Marly Castro.

A Celebration of Life will be held later this year, hopefully during the summer, in Edgewater, Florida, due to the ongoing pandemic. The plans will be announced on Susan's Facebook page. For those not on social media, please send an email to sue.burry12@gmail.com to ask for notification on plans when they are finalized.

The family of Susan Ussery Burry invites you to leave a message of condolence on the Tribute Wall created in her loving memory.