Susan Williams Crum

Susan Williams Crum had a very long and interesting life. She was born in Brooklyn, NY to a mother Susan, and a dad Edward, both of whom were immigrants.

In her early years living in a Caribbean family with many aunts, uncles, cousins, and a brother. All were overachievers. She lived in a family of type A people. Her father was a Janitor/Superintendent of a building in Bensonhurst where the family lived. Her mother was a maid for wealthy Brooklynites. Her mother worked into her 80s. They went to school and lived a modest lifestyle, as her parents were immigrants who came to the US to seek out a life they could not have in the Islands at the time. They worked hard and bought their first house in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. Her father

She graduated high school and went to Art School, as was customary for women at the time at The Traphagen School of Fashion. While in art school she studied fashion, design, and illustration. She became a fantastic artist, a great illustrator, and a fashion designer. There were not many Black Fashion Designers at the time, but that didn’t stop her. She started working for Mark B. Anstendig, an illustrator, in Manhattan's garment district.

But as always, she got antsy. She was an adventurer, who didn’t accept her station in life and wanted to see the world, so, she traveled to California with her girlfriends to see another part of the US. She fell in love with the City of Los Angeles. She decided to move to Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles, she married and had a child, Adria. Again she realized that her career took her back to New York City where she continued working as a designer.

Her mother was back in NY and looked to move to a better neighborhood for her family. So she bought a house in the Lefferts Gardens area of Brooklyn.

Mom in PGLNA

She embraced her neighborhood when she returned to it. She was involved in many community organizations. She was on the School Board, PTA, Neighborhood Watch, and Lincoln Road Block Association where she served as Secretary for many years to help with the formation of the Block Association.

Mom in Church

Susan attended Siloam Presbyterian Church for many years in Brooklyn, NY. She became involved as a Sunday school teacher, worked on many church committees, and served as a Church Deacon, then an Elder. 

Later she attended Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church where she continued her church mission and became a Church Deacon, then an Elder in Presbytery, and she worked on many different committees and projects for the community. As an active member of the Presbytery, she worked with many ministers and Presbytery Officials.

Mom at work

She became a Fashion Illustrator and one of the first Black Fashion Designers of her time. She was very successful in her craft until the later 1970’s when the Fashion marketplace changed. She moved on to become a secretary, then a Senior Administrator at American National Standards Institute, (ANSI).  After a decade or so she continued her not for profit work at Services for the Under Served, (SUS) where she became the Benefits Manager.

Mom Later in Life

Susan finished Art school but never finished her college degree, which was separate.  As an Adult, she attended Adult education for psychology and theology at the College of New Rochelle. She continued to her master’s in organizational psychology.

Mom in Retirement

During retirement, Susan built a house in the Turks and Caicos where her family originated and moved back to the Island of Providenciales, where she lived for 9 years where she lived a peaceful life. After her brother passed away she moved back to the United States and settled closer to family in Philadelphia, PA. When the Mary Taylor House was constructed in West Chester, PA, she moved in. It was here where she made many friends and served on their resident council. During her last years in Hospice, she participated in many card games, puzzles, bingo, movies, and music therapy concerts all of which she enjoyed until her last days.

Susan Williams Crum is survived by her daughter and son-in-law respectively, Adria Crum, and Peter Ventura, and her niece Kathryn Williams, and many, many other close family, and friends. There are too many to name.