Susan Claire Williams, 66, of Rochester, MN, and formerly of Lompoc and San Mateo, CA, passed away Wednesday evening, August 28th, 2024, in Mayo Clinic Methodist Hospital in Rochester, with her loving husband, Gerald, at her side.
Susan was born in Thief River Falls, MN, on August 16, 1958, the daughter of Richard and Coreen “Connie” (Strand) Nelson. She grew up in Crookston, MN, and nearby Grand Forks-East Grand Forks, and her father was an officer with the Mayville, ND, Police Department for several years. After her graduation from High School in 1975, Susan attended Mayville (ND) State College, where she received her Bachelor’s degree. On January 28, 1983, she married the love of her life, Gerald “Jerry” Dennis Williams, in Grand Forks, ND. Their union would be blessed by the birth of a precious daughter, Melissa, known throughout her life as “Missy’. During these years, Susan furthered her education, earning a Master’s degree in English from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, followed by a second Master’s degree in Counseling from North Dakota State University in Fargo. Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Sacred Heart School in East Grand Forks then employed Susan.
In 1989, Jerry was transferred to Vandenberg Air Force Base at Lompoc, CA. Susan continued her long and rewarding career as an educator with the Lompoc Unified School District, specializing in Adult Education. She eventually rose to the role of Principal. Additionally, she was also responsible for establishing a Nursing Program and a Pharmacy Tech Program in the community. Susan’s passion was reaching out to those in need of new challenges, be they very young or quite elderly. She often visited hospitals and schools accompanied by “Kazy the Camel,” a real-life, honest-to-goodness camel whose personality brought delight and cheer to all they both came in contact with. Of special note, Susan and Kazy were once featured on a Discovery Network airing. Susan also sponsored a “Literacy Bus,” which she had local high school students paint purple. She also had them retrofit the interior, turning it into a computer lab on wheels for those seeking their first introduction to the world of computers. In addition to this, she was the creator of “Reading Plus,” designed around sharpening reading skills, once again for all ages. Both her Literacy Bus and Reading Plus programs received national recognition. Susan was an active member of the Rotary Club in Lompoc and Chairperson of the Younger Older Conference. In 2012, Susan and Jerry moved further north to San Mateo, near San Francisco, where she continued her life’s work until retiring in 2015, bringing to a close a wondrous 28-year career. In 2017, Susan began attending USC at Los Angeles, where she studied to become a Physician’s Assistant. After graduating in 2020, she and Jerry moved back to Lompoc, where Susan began her practice at the Community Health Center (CHC). In early 2023 she was diagnosed with cancer and began receiving chemo treatments at Rochester’s Mayo Clinic, which meant traveling back and forth from Lompoc every month, spending 4 days at Mayo. Due to the severity of her worsening health, in November of 2023, Susan and Jerry relocated to Rochester and were currently living in an apartment building known as “Red Forty-Four”.
Susan filled her life with reading, cooking, knitting, swimming, biking, traveling with Jerry, and being a Mom to her several pet dogs over the years. Jerry and Missy were absolutely the greatest source of joy in her life. She couldn’t have been prouder to be the wife of a career Air Force veteran and mother to a daughter who was a US Navy veteran herself and was following Susan’s steps while preparing for her own career as a PA.
Susan leaves to mourn her passing Jerry, her beloved husband of 41 years; their daughter, Melissa “Missy” Williams of Shelby Twp, MI; sister, Star Jasperson of Cheyenne, WY; 3 nieces and a nephew, Heidi Ames of Gansevoort, NY, Nikki Peterson-Stringer of Cumberland Furnace, TN, Anna Peterson of Cheyenne, and Danny Jasperson of Cheyenne; and former brother-in-law, David Peterson of Thief River Falls, MN. From Jerry’s side of the family, Susan is survived by 2 sisters-in-law, Sharon Nolan of Medina, OH, and Karen Wittgate of Akron, OH; 2 nieces and 2 nephews: Bret Nolan, Darci Eaves, Justin Nolan, and David Frederick; and many friends from near and far. She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Connie Nelson; parents-in-law, Donald and Mollybelle Williams; and through the years her pet fur babies: Chloe, Luna, Zoe, Bella, Cali, Scruffy, and Shasha.
The funeral service for Susan will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 7, 2024, at the Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home in Crookston, with The Rev. Michael Ozaki officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the funeral, and burial will follow in the Oakdale Cemetery, Crookston, next to her parents, Richard and Connie Nelson.
