Susan Salene Hawthorne

Susan Salene Hawthorne, 92, of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, peacefully passed into the loving arms of Jesus on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at White Horse Village. A memorial service will be held at White Horse Village, 535 Gradyville Rd., Newtown Square, PA 19073 on Friday, January 17, 2025, in the auditorium. The family will greet visitors from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by a Celebration of Life service at 11 a.m. which will be live streamed on the Funeral Home's Facebook page.
Susan was born on February 29, 1932, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Edward Smeigh. She graduated from Altoona High School in 1949 and Shippensburg College with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1953. Her first job was teaching second grade. Always a teacher at heart, she went on to teach preschool and later became a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader. She enjoyed creating fun activities and cared deeply about each student.
She met the love of her life, Terrey Hawthorne, on a blind date, and they married in 1956. Supporting Terrey as he completed his engineering degree at North Carolina State College earned her an honorary "Goodwife" diploma. Throughout his career, Terrey was active in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and to support him, she became a member of the ASME Auxiliary. She served as Secretary, Executive Vice President, and President. Presiding over the committee to select students for engineering scholarships, she enjoyed reviewing applications and selecting students.
Susan and Terrey had two children; Rebecca (Becky) and Jon. They traveled across the country visiting relatives on many memorable family vacations. The family made many moves to cities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Illinois. She was always ready for a new adventure. In each location, she intentionally made close friendships with neighbors and people from the church and community. Her kindness was evident to everyone who knew her. She lived out the William Butler Yeats quote: "There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met."
Family was a cornerstone of her life. She loved her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and was intentional about staying connected. Family would travel together or visit and the time would always be filled with laughter and visiting local attractions and landmarks. As a Leap Year baby, she enjoyed being teased when her grandchildren had more birthdays than she did.
After the children were grown, Susan traveled the world with her husband. They vacationed in North America with their growing family. They also ventured to South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Susan had an adventurous spirit and loved to swim, bowl, Wii bowl, sing with the WHV Singers, put together puzzles, read, and play cards (Pinochle and Bridge were two of her favorite games).
Susan will be missed by her children, Rebecca (Brad) Jewart of Manheim, Pennsylvania, Jon (Cindy) Hawthorne of Brooklyn, Michigan; grandchildren Daniel Hawthorne, Amanda (Benjamin) Youtz, Amy (Cole) Lantz, Jamie Malone, Michelle (Jason) Cherry, Breanna Jewart, Julianne (Charles) Jones, Mary (Aaron) Brown; 11 great-grandchildren and many friends. Susan was preceded in death by her parents and husband V. Terrey Hawthorne.
In memory of Susan, donations may be made to the Wayne United Methodist Church (https://wayneumc.org/give) or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (https://give.michaeljfox.org/).