Athens, OH - Suzan Hayes Woodhead, 68, of Athens, OH died late Sunday evening, Oct. 29, 2017 at Hickory Creek Nursing Center, The Plains, OH. Born Feb. 21, 1949 in Pittsburg, Kansas, she was the daughter of the late Robert C. & Jean M. Cowan Woodhead.
She was a graduate of Pittsburg High School (KS), and Pittsburg State University, studied at University of Arkansas, and received her Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Dr. Woodhead was a plant pathologist, who studied and developed methods of non-chemical control of predatory plants. She was employed with various research companies as well as the U.S. Army.
She was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd of Athens, OH. She was an avid quilter, participated in various local quilting groups and won awards of excellence for her quilt designs. Her quilts are hung in several area buildings. She donated many handmade crocheted prayer shawls and fleece hats and mittens to the community. She also enjoyed painting and hand weaving on a full size loom.
Suzan was a compassionate animal lover. She rescued many dogs and gave them their forever homes. She and Earl together rescued greyhounds.
Suzan is survived by her husband, Dr. Earl Stump; two sisters, Polly (Don) Mertz of St. Louis, MO and Pegg Smith of Pittsburg, KS; and a brother, Curtis (Susan Rossetti) Woodhead of Pittsburgh, PA; several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Friday 2:00 p.m. at Jagers & Sons Funeral Home, Athens, OH with Rev. Deborah Woolsey officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association, Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Office, 1218 Market Street, Parkersburg, WV 26101 or www.alz.org. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register book at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.

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Published by Morning Sun on Oct. 31, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Suzan Woodhead

Sponsored by Jagers and Sons Funeral Home.

6 Entries

Randy Kirkpatrick

November 7, 2017

Suzan and I became acquainted in biology and chemistry classes and related club activities in Carney Hall at PSU. I remember late night trips to the all-night restaurant in north Pittsburg with mutual friend Colette Fleming and others for the special "milk toast" menu item. We went on some college trips together, and through her and her sister Peggy, I became a friend of the entire family, spending a lot of time in their home. I enjoyed the entire Woodhead family and remember my time spent with them quite fondly. Suzan and I even worked together for a while ashing coal samples in a McNally Co. search for a process to reduce the sulfur content in coal. I remember her on-going fight for the "z" in her name!
We remained in touch through graduate school, Suzan being at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where she was involved in a study to produce poinsettias that held onto their colorful bracts despite the worst of home conditions, and where she became an avid supporter of the Razorback basketball team. She sent me a surprise gift subscription to a specialty botanical journal, in an area that she knew was a passionate interest of mine, that I have maintained since that time. Once, when she was working in plant pathology and traveling the world in search of specimens, she stopped to visit me and the Texas A&M University campus that I was attending. She then began work in a firm that I understood to be a consortium of scientists where she eventually did the basic research for a potentially revolutionary product that held promise of becoming a non-corrosive sanitizing agent for surgical equipment in operating theaters and for use even on open wounds.
Through several re-locations she always kept a dog or two, and always actively maintained outside interests. Both busy, we sustained our friendship for years with a single annual phone call and, since 2005, some 532 e-mails which were more often-than-not a humorous or inspirational 'forward' that served to remind us during the frenetic times that "I'm thinking of you!", but that sometimes included a personal note and photos of her dogs or from a recent quilt show. The e-mails trickled to an end in 2011 with three entitled "Long live friendship", "Aging isn't pretty" and "Find your inner peace.....".
I marveled that at 50 she chose to marry and to begin a new chapter in her life. Retiring shortly thereafter, she began spinning and weaving, and then quilting. She would send me occasional e-mails with some of her own quilts, and I was jealous of their recipients; they were exquisite. Contact between us became less as she devoted herself to her new life, hobbies, activities and greyhounds, but we managed occasional face-to-face meetings and, always interested and interesting, we had a friendship that lasts even now.
Suzan, I miss you. I miss knowing that you are there. I greatly lament that Alzheimer's claimed your final years, that a mind so trained in the scientific method could become clouded and diminished in its ugly grasp. I remain grateful that you retired early and had time to enjoy yourself before you no longer could. Suzan, I miss you. Goodbye dear friend.

November 2, 2017

Prayers for Eternal Peace, dear Suzan, and prayers for continued strength of all of your family.
Dr. Colette Fleming
Mission, Kansas
(college friend)

Barry Anderson

November 1, 2017

Susan lived across the street from our family in Pittsburg. Although I have not had contact with her for many years, I have several good childhood memories. I will remember her smile. My sympathy to her entire family.

Debbie & Chuck Mertz

October 31, 2017

We are so sorry to hear of Suzan's passing, her talent in quilting was totally amazing. Please know we are thinking of you all at this time. Our sympathy.

Carol Smith-Salmon

October 31, 2017

I was so sorry to hear that Suzan had passed away. We went through school together from Kindergarten through college at Pittsburg State University. I have lots of good memories of sharing school activities, being in Girl Scouts together, and carpooling in high school with our sisters. My sincere sympathy to Earl and to Suzan's family members.

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