Susan I. Hess

Susan Hess, 66, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in her sleep on Wednesday, December 26, 2018. She had been diagnosed with ALS in February and her health had rapidly declined.

Susan was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to William and Roberta Rhodes. When she was a young girl, the family moved to Erie, Pa., where Susan was a longtime resident. She accepted the Lord Jesus as her Savior as a young girl through the ministry of Garden Heights Baptist Church.

After graduating from Harbor Creek High School, she earned her Bachelor of Sacred Music from Baptist Bible College and a Master of Music from Edinboro University. She married Elmer Hess of Erie, Pa., on March 23, 1978, whom she met while teaching music at Bethel Christian School. Susan had a deep love for music, especially classical music and church music. She played the organ and piano and taught music at churches and schools in both Pennsylvania and Florida.

In the early 2000s, she opened her own music studio in Lawrence Park, Hess Music Studio, which later relocated to Wesleyville. Recently she enjoyed leading choirs and playing the organ as the Director of Traditional Music at Wesley UMC, in Wesleyville.

For many years, she and her husband lived in a cottage overlooking Lake Erie. She loved to sit on her bench overlooking the lake and enjoyed a sense of peace and rest as she would pray and read her Bible.

Susan was well loved by her family, friends, and music students. She endured hardship in life with grace and was known to be an incredibly caring, generous and kind person.

She is survived by her husband, Elmer; two children, David Hess (Katie), and Karis Huster (Brian); her parents, William and Roberta Rhodes; her brother Kenneth Rhodes; her sister, Joan Lawley (Michael); her six grandchildren and nieces and nephews

Friends may call at the Dusckas Funeral Home, Inc., 2607 Buffalo Rd., on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. and are invited to attend a Memorial Service at Wesleyville Baptist Church, 3509 Buffalo Rd, on Monday, at 10 a.m., conducted by Rev. Mark McCallion. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the ALS Association of Western Pennsylvania, 416 Lincoln Ave, Millvale, PA 15209.

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