Susan Frances Greenhawt

The Florida Judiciary lost one of its brightest stars when Judge Susan Frances Greenhawt succumbed to cancer on March 10, 2026 at the age of 73. She passed quietly in her Fort Lauderdale home surrounded by her children and wife, Dr. Jan Faust.

Chicago-born first child of Robert and Frances (Flynn) Beckstrom, Susan "relocated" with her parents to Coral Gables when she was only six weeks old- considered to be one of Florida's native daughters. She enjoyed the freedom of growing up in the 1950's in what was then a sleepy Coral Gables, unspoiled by development. In an interview several years ago, she stated, "It was a lot of fun growing up in Coral Gables," where she and her sister could ride their bikes all over their quiet town, even venturing into Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove.

After graduating from Coral Gables Senior High School in 1970, Susan chose her first career path at Vanderbilt University the following Fall. Explaining that decision, Susan recalled, "At that time, women were given a choice between nursing and teaching. Since I had been a candy striper, I thought caregiving was a better choice." She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1974 and began her nursing career as a Registered Nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital's Emergency Room. She found herself drawn to the chaotic assignments in the ER, which she attributed to her somewhat hectic home life with a mercurial father. Always going a step above expectations, Susan learned to speak Spanish from her patients so she could more easily communicate with them. She later earned a Master's Degree in Nursing Administration (MSN) at Barry University and was a valued and beloved member of Jackson Memorial's nursing staff.

After ten years as a nurse at Jackson Memorial and Hollywood Memorial, followed by six years as a nurse and administrator of her then-husband Dr. Michael Greenhawt's Oncology practice in Hollywood, Susan realized that the physical demands of the nursing profession with its long hours and the need to be on her feet for 8-12 hours a day could not be sustained as her long-term career. It was at that point that Susan embarked on her second career - this time as a Florida
attorney.

Explaining her decision to become a lawyer, Susan said "I met a woman lawyer at a New Year's Eve party who recommended I go to law school, and I thought, Why not?" She applied only to the NSU Shepard Broad College of Law because she wanted to be close to her young daughters, Rachel and Lauren.

During her first year in law school, at the age of 38, Susan was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In her usual pragmatic way, she arranged for her surgery and recovery to occur during her winter break so as not to miss any classes. Looking back on that experience, she said "Whatever adversity comes to me, I move past ... I have a great deal of internal strength. My mother was an incredibly strong woman, and I learned from her. There are very few people who are as tough and
strong as I am." That same strength, so much a part of who she was, became something her daughter Lauren would carry forward in her own life.

Upon graduation, Susan established the law firm, Chorowski & Greenhawt, P.A. with her best friend from law school, Rae Chorowski. Having clerked at the renowned family law firm, Elser & Greene, in Miami, and having grown up in a challenging home situation, Susan already knew she was well-equipped to guide people through the emotional and life-altering circumstances that arise in family law. As she observed, "There is a great deal of need for empathy and compassion in family law. The lawyers and judges need to understand human nature. I find that a lot of family court judges with chaos in their own lives, are drawn to this division."

After devoting ten years to building a successful law practice and earning the reputation of a respected and effective family lawyer, Susan realized she would be an asset to the family bench. She applied for approval from Broward County's 17th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission and Governor Jeb Bush appointed her to the circuit bench in 2003.

Judge Greenhawt's first and only stop in Broward County's Circuit Court was in the Family Division, where she quickly earned the respect of attorneys, litigants, and fellow judges for her knowledge of the law, intelligence, common sense, empathy, and wit. After then Chief Judge Jack Tuter appointed her as administrative judge of the unified family court, Judge Greenhawt mentored every new family court judge, while always remaining available to share ideas with her more experienced colleagues. After ten years, Judge Greenhawt retired as a full-time judge - but not
entirely. She was called back to the court to serve as a Senior Judge during and after the Covid pandemic, then continued her senior service whenever the Chief Judge asked for her help.

In the final chapter of her life, Susan turned her attention to something entirely new. Alongside her family, she helped shape the vision for Olim Health, a pediatric care model focused on metabolic health and eating disorders. She believed, deeply and personally, that children deserved better than fragmented care. They deserved thoughtful, coordinated, compassionate support that addressed the whole child. She did not approach this as a passive advisor, but as a visionary. She engaged with it the same way she approached everything else in her life: fully, directly, and with purpose.

Susan's sudden passing has shocked and saddened the judicial and legal community, as well as her family and friends. Her limitless dedication to fellow lawyers, judges, litigants and judicial staff, and her generosity of wisdom, time, vision, practicality, experience and wit creates a void in the lives of her professional colleagues. A brilliant innovator, a dedicated caregiver, and
a creative problem-solver as she traveled through her three successful careers as nurse, lawyer and judge, Judge Greenhawt lightened the load for many with her wisdom and humor. She will be sorely missed and never forgotten.

Recalling Judge Greenhawt's remarkable career, Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips observed, "Anyone who served in the Family Division over the past 20 years knew Susan as a friend, a mentor, and an invaluable source of wisdom and common sense. She served on the bench for more than a decade, always in the Family Division, presiding over some of the most difficult and emotionally complex cases with steadiness and practicality ... She was
strong, fearless, and pragmatic in her approach. She was refreshingly candid with colleagues, litigants, and attorneys, and possessed a great sense of humor ... Judge Greenhawt meant so much to so many of us. Time and again, she returned to help when needed, generously sharing her wealth of experience and leading a steady hand to the division she cared so deeply about."

Susan is survived by her wife of 23 years, Dr. Jan Faust, a family forensic psychologist and clinical psychologist; their four loving children: Rachel Greenhawt, a special needs teacher; Lauren Odman, co-founder of Olim Health; Dr. Nina Campanile, a psychologist; and Brandon Campanile, an aerospace engineer; her nephew, Brian Rice; her beloved grandson and the love of her life, Milo Kovack; and her lifelong best friends, Rae Chorowski and Peggy Gehl. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Bo.

At Susan's request, no formal services will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute in support of diabetes research.