SUSAN KELLY SENECHAL

SENECHAL, Susan Kelly, 67, died peacefully on April 12, 2013 near her home in Earlysville, Va. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Gary Dean Senechal; her daughter, Anna Johnson and her husband, Kevin; her son, Jesse Senechal and his wife, Erin McGrath; her four granddaughters, Regina Senechal, Caroline Johnson, Hazel Senechal and Veronica Senechal; her brother, Stephen Kelly and his wife, Karen; her sister-in-law, Julie Senechal; and her brother-in-law, Scott Senechal. Susan was born to the late Lester B. Kelly and Hazel O. Kelly in New York City. She grew up in Richmond and graduated from Douglas Freeman High School in 1963. She received her B.A. in Latin language from Mary Washington College in 1968. She was married on June 17, 1967 in Arlington, Va. After living in Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Minnesota, and a long road trip to Alaska, Susan and Gary settled in Richmond's Ginter Park neighborhood. After 20 years there, they moved to Sandbridge to a beautiful house overlooking the Back Bay. Susan taught Latin and English in both the Richmond and Virginia Beach schools, including John Marshall High, Thomas Jefferson High, Open High, Community High, Graves Middle, Tuckahoe Middle, Kemps Landing Middle and Cape Henry Collegiate. Susan was an extraordinary teacher who brought creativity and passion to her classroom and was a tireless advocate for her students, especially those who struggled the most within the system. Among her accomplishments as a teacher, Susan led students to state and national classical language competitions and organized the publication of student newspapers and literary magazines. Susan also contributed to the field of Latin education, authoring books and publishing curricula that are still used in classrooms today. Outside of her work, Susan loved reading through the afternoon and cooking, listening to music and enjoying good food through the evening with Gary. As a mother and a grandmother, Susan brought the same creativity of spirit that she brought to her teaching, designing books, activities and toys for her children and grandchildren. Although Susan accomplished so much through her life's work and gave so much to her friends and family, she was quick to downplay her acts of caring. Nonetheless, she will be remembered for those acts and her spirit will live on in our hearts and minds. A celebration of Susan's life will be held in Richmond 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 24, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 3602 Hawthorne Ave.

This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.