Susan Rodney Tyler

Susan Rodney Tyler, 71, of Austin, Texas passed away peacefully on July 13, 2025, at home. She is survived by her husband, John, son, Patrick, brother, Richard, his partner, Thomas, and aunt, Jean Mazza Moreau. She is predeceased by her father, Leo Ridgeway Rodney, mother, Alice Mazza Rodney, and brother, Robert Ridgeway Rodney.

Susan was born on June 19, 1954 in Red Bank, New Jersey to Leo, a Presbyterian with deep roots in New Jersey, and Alice, the daughter of Roman Catholic Irish and Italian immigrants. Susan's family relocated to Houston, Texas shortly after she was born, establishing a home in the Westbury neighborhood of what was then the Southwestern suburbs of Houston.

Susan grew up in a 1960s middle-class household. Susan and her family attended St. Thomas More Catholic Church and she received a Catholic girls preparatory education. She was the neighborhood babysitter and an original Beatles fan, preferring Paul. Susan spent the summers of her adolescence visiting her family in New Jersey where her love for the boardwalks and beaches of Monmouth County, New Jersey developed into a lifelong love for beaches and coastal towns.

In 1972, Susan moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas, graduating in 1975 with a degree in business administration. Susan met John in 1981, and they married on January 9, 1982. Susan and John's son, Patrick, was born in 1984. Susan and John bought a home and raised Patrick in Austin, and she remained an Austin resident for the duration of her life.

Susan spent most of her career working in the Texas Senate Payroll Office, retiring as the director of the office. Susan performed her job with excellence and was recognized for her service, receiving the Texas Senate's Betty King Administrative Public Service Award in 2007. She was a friend, mentor, and sometimes confidant, to many of her colleagues. Susan retired in 2013 but continued helping and advising the payroll office for many years afterward.

Susan lived a rich life. She filled it with family and friends and found meaning and a sense of belonging in service to others. She spent her life putting others before herself, driven by a sense of duty to her family and friends, and guided by a faith in some greater purpose. She continued to grow throughout her life and loved experiencing the world and its people.

Susan pursued a wide range of hobbies and interests. She was an avid reader who enjoyed learning new languages such as Spanish and Italian, researching her genealogy, and solving crossword puzzles. She enjoyed the arts, particularly Broadway musicals and museums. Susan adored animals, especially cats, which she adopted throughout her life. Susan valued spending time in nature, including bird watching with her husband, John. She travelled the Northeastern and Southeastern parts of the country extensively and made multiple foreign trips to Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America with her family and friends.

Susan was a selfless person who was dedicated to helping others and serving her community. She was a caregiver and helper to many. She volunteered her time to several charities and causes throughout her life, including Meals on Wheels, hospice social work, respite care for adults and elderly with memory loss, fundraising for Alzheimer's research, and suicide prevention. Susan was also an engaged member of her community. She was a regular voter, a one-time Texas Democratic Party convention delegate, and at times board member of her neighborhood homeowners association.

Susan was a loving wife and mother and the bedrock of her family. She was a devoted daughter and sister, caring for her parents in their later years and her brother as his health declined. Family bonds were important to Susan. She maintained relationships with her cousins and extended family throughout her life. Susan was proud of her family and its history. She compiled a genealogical history of her family, tracing her roots as far back as historical records would allow, and reestablished contact with her distant relations in Ireland and Italy, even obtaining Irish citizenship in 2008.

Susan developed personal relationships and belonged to various groups throughout her life. Susan was a faithful friend and caring godmother, forming lifelong friendships with her high school and college friends and their families. Susan also developed extensive friendships with her colleagues at the Texas Senate, some lasting decades after working together.

Susan led her life with distinction. Susan always saw the potential for good in people. She treated others with kindness, compassion, and charity. She was gentle, patient, understanding, and humble, and she possessed an inner strength that was a source of stability for many around her. She had a beautiful soul, filled with empathy and generosity for others. Her family is proud of who she was and is blessed that she was a part of their lives. Susan was beloved and is dearly missed.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic Church, 4311 Small Drive, Austin, Texas 78731. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Meals on Wheels Central Texas, Hospice Austin, or other charity befitting Susan's memory.