Dr. Susan M. Widmayer

Dr. Susan M. Widmayer, the epitome of a life well-lived, passed away on December 20, 2025, after an eight-year battle with ovarian cancer, but not before changing the lives of tens of thousands of women and children in need.

Born June 28, 1943, to Ellen and Lawrence Widmayer in Hartford, Connecticut, Susan grew up in Potomac, Maryland before moving to Florida.

Susan is survived by her loving family: wife, Dr. Linda M. Peterson of Venice, Florida; sister, Dr. Martha Widmayer of Port Charlotte, Florida; brother-in-law, Dr. John McDonald of Vero Beach, Florida; Nephews, John L. McDonald of Altamont Springs, Florida and Patrick McDonald (Cindy) of Port Charlotte, Florida; Great-Nephew, John C. McDonald, Great-Niece, Grace McDonald; God-daughters Juliane Polito Garcia of Elk Grove, California and Christina Polito Rader of Sacramento, California.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ellen and Larry and her sister Mary Beth Widmayer McDonald, all from Vero Beach, Florida.

Because she never wanted the spotlight on herself, she quietly married the love of her life, Dr. Linda Peterson in December 2018. They have been together for nearly 40 years, sharing Florida homes in Plantation, Weston, Venice, and Tidy Island and traveling the world for fun, education, and leisure.

In both her personal life and her professional life, Susan's generosity of time, money and spirit was unmatched. There were no strangers in her life, just people she was about to meet and lives she was about to enhance. She donated generously to causes that were important to her, rarely spending money on herself but always diligently caring for those who needed support.

She graduated from Trinity College in 1968. She moved to Miami in 1971 to work at the Center for Theoretical Physics at the University of Miami. During her time there she edited four books on theoretical physics among her other duties.

She earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology in 1979 from the University of Miami. After her doctoral work, she was made an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the university's School of Medicine.

Susan was the founder of the Children's Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1983 and served as its Executive Director until her retirement in 2013. The center grew to be the preeminent resource providing extensive follow-up medical care, comprehensive case management, and early intervention services to medically fragile infants, children, and adolescents with disabilities in Broward County. The Center was the only non-university site in the nation for pediatric HIV/AIDS clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Susan is renowned for making substantial contributions toward the understanding of child health and development, conducting, and publishing extensive studies. In 1985, she, on behalf of CDTC, was awarded a Ford Foundation Fair Start Grant, which established the Center as a grant-based community provider for children's health care services and a nationally recognized non-academic institution. She mobilized local, state, and federal funds to establish the Comprehensive Pediatric AIDS Project at the Center in 1991.

During her 30-year tenure leading the center, they serviced more than 250,000 clients and received awards too numerous to name for their commitment to the community and the advanced research and services they provided.

On February 28, 2013, Susan was honored in the US House of Representatives by Florida Congressman Ted Deutch saying, "When no one else would care for the tens of thousands of children with impoverished parents, Dr. Widmayer answered the call."

Susan's thirst for knowledge and her belief in education was not limited to the workplace. Her father Larry's WWII experiences spurred Susan's lifelong passion for information about the war. She absorbed every book and documentary she could get her hands on. Speaking of books, Susan singlehandedly kept the book publishing industry alive shopping at new and used bookstores alike on a weekly basis. That was always after she visited the public library.

Susan was not a lover of technology, but that did not stop her from starting every day on her iPad ingesting all the news from the previous day from her many online newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

Susan did not love baseball, but she loved Linda, who loves baseball, so Susan, while pretending not to watch ball games on TV, sat quietly learning all the player names, statistics, and the lingo of the game; interjecting what she learned when friends and family least expected it.

While Susan will be greatly missed, her legacy of love, compassion, and service will live forever in the hearts of those whose lives she touched.

Arrangements are pending.

In lieu of flowers, if you wish to honor Susan, please consider a donation to Children's Diagnostic & Treatment Center, 1401 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316.