Susan Jane Addison Torrans

Susan Addison Torrans died peacefully following a long illness early Sunday morning, December 4, 2022, at Sentara Leigh Hospital attended by close family members. She was the daughter of James Samuel and Hazel Pinner Addison, and was a lifelong resident of Norfolk.

Born and raised in Tidewater, Susan was the embodiment of the rich fabric of old Norfolk. Growing up in Lafayette Residence Park on Luxembourg Avenue, Susan watched the city grow and evolve from Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II, the Sixties and Vietnam and through to the present. In her later years, Susan enjoyed touring the cityâ€"to see how it had changedâ€"and would offer very delightful and insightful commentary on its growth through the lens of her past experiences growing up.

She attended Granby High School and spent her summers her parents' vacation home in Ocean View and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with family. She later worked for the Virginia Commerce Bank and then for Norfolk and Southern Railroad. In the early 1950s, friends introduced her to Bill Torrans, then a student at East Carolina University, who visited Norfolk as a member of the Naval Air Reserve. They were married on July 4, 1953, amid lots of fireworks and celebration. Bill subsequently enlisted in the Army, and Susan and her daughter Marie traveled with him to various posts around the country until he was given a direct commission and returned with her to Norfolk in 1956 to begin a career in the State government and later with the U.S. District Court.

Susan and Bill raised their three children, Marie, Kenan, and Clare in Norfolk, and Susan was very involved in their education and activities in Carrolton Oaks School which later became Norfolk Collegiate. She was active in her church, First United Methodist, on Luxembourg Avenue as well as volunteering at DePaul Hospital. Susan had a very gifted eye for interior decorating, flower arranging, and collecting antiques, and was often called upon to help decorate judges' chambers, church altars, and friends' homes. Susan was also a gifted artist, producing a number of highly detailed sketches and oil paintings as a hobby. Those artworks remain treasured keepsakes among her surviving family members.

In later years, Bill and Susan thoroughly indulged their love of travelâ€"venturing around the world at least once, and, visiting virtually every corner of the globe for extended periods. Indeed, it was not unusual for them to announce to friends or family that they were stepping out to go on a local shopping trip, and later call from some far-away destination in Europe or the Pacific Rim where they would remain for several weeks and sometimes months at a time. Their many photographs and keepsakes bear witness to their travels--showing Susan and Bill in the most unlikely of placesâ€"riding in all manner of military aircraft, living in cottages in Britain's Cotswolds region, or visiting some exotic locale few people had ever heard of. Susan left a lasting impression on all those who met her, and she often received letters and postcards from individuals around the world sending greetings and well wishes.

Susan leaves behind a long trail of cherished memories - and is survived by two daughters: Marie of Norfolk, VA and Clare; Clare's husband John and their daughter Lily of Oakton VA; and son Kenan, his wife Paige, and her sons Baylen and Augustino, of Alexandria, VA, as well as extended family members throughout Virginia and North Carolina. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, brothers Harry Taylor Addison and James Samuel Addison, and her parents. The family particularly wishes to thank the staff at Jewish Family Services of Tidewaterâ€"Stacey Ann, Cynthia, Michelle, Valerie, Katrina, Tara, and Lucy, in addition to our neighbors and friends the Julians and Gillespies who looked after Susan in later years.

A viewing will be conducted at the Woodlawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens Chapel, on Thursday, January 5, 2022 from 6pm to 8pm. Funeral Services will be held on Friday, January 6, 2022, at Woodlawn beginning at 12pm followed by a reception/luncheon at 1pm, and a graveside service at 3pm. We encourage our friends and family to visit with us and sign the guest book.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Jewish Family Services of Tidewater, the Alzheimer's Foundation, or the Norfolk Historical Society. Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.woodlawnnorfolk.com.