Susie W. Roberts

On April 21, 1923, in Montgomery, Alabama, a remarkable life began. Born at Fraternal Hospital to a carpenter and a florist, Thomas Henry and Rebecca Williams, was Susie Eugenia Williams. As the fifth of eight children, Flora, Juliette, Princess, Thomas Henry, Jr., Roscoe, Walter, and Robert Bernard, Susie grew up cherished, clever, and determined—and she would one day become the last remaining member of the original Williams family of Montgomery.

Raised on Hutchinson Street, she walked each day to the campus of Alabama State from “low-first” through college, building lifelong friendships and planting the seeds of the educator she would become after she graduated in 1944. She pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., proudly serving as president of the Beta Pi Chapter her junior year. During her senior year of high school, Susie met the love of her life, Harold Roberts, a scholarship football player at Alabama State from Fostoria, Ohio. Their love endured through his military service during the war, while she completed college and began teaching at Cotton Valley School. Through letters and long distance, their bond only deepened until they were married in her parents’ home on March 11, 1945.

The couple later settled in Dayton, Ohio’s Edgemont neighborhood, where they converted to Catholicism and built a life overflowing with faith, community, and family – first in the wartime housing at DeSoto Bass Courts, then on Weaver Street, before purchasing the family home for 68 years on Wisconsin Boulevard. Together they raised ten children, each a reflection of their parents’ resilience, love, and devotion. Susie’s early years as a homemaker prepared her for every challenge motherhood could offer. She took pride in neighbors complimenting how white her clothes on the line were, often told stories of washing diapers and making bottles, and was known for her homemade dinner rolls that everyone looked forward to at Thanksgiving. Christmas brought the cherished traditions that echoed her own childhood memories. She was a trusted confidant, and with a well-aimed pitch of a house slipper, she could quickly redirect any child who needed disciplining—always with love, humor, and an unshakable sense of order.

In 1961, Susie returned to the classroom, teaching third and fourth grades at St. James Catholic School.  She later served as a Head Start Center Director for Miami Valley Child Development Center and started the Headstart Daycare Center at Sinclair Community College before returning to the classroom in 1979 as the third grade teacher at Resurrection Catholic School. Some of her children and grandchildren had the special experience of calling her both “Mom” or “Grandma” and “Mrs. Roberts”. She retired in 1988 after a distinguished career that touched thousands of lives.

Susie and Harold celebrated 50 years of marriage before his passing in 1995. Yet she moved forward with enduring faith and a firm belief in service. She was deeply involved at St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church through the Bereavement Committee, Alter Rosary Society, Leisure Club, Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, and the Associates of the Sisters of Notre Dame. She volunteered with the Edgemont Neighborhood Coalition and the Senior Resource Center and remained a financial member of the Dayton Chapter of Alabama State University Alumni Association. She was known far and wide for keeping a prayer list. If you were on that list, you were covered, protected, and lifted daily.

Never having a driver’s license, Susie especially treasured the joys of companionship. She enjoyed countless fabric store outings with her dear friend Childsie, where they could spend hours choosing patterns, colors, and sewing possibilities. In later years, she found comfort and adventure traveling with the “Awesome Foursome”—Sr. Virginia, Jennie Poole, and Amanda Peasant—sharing laughter, stories, and memories that carried her through the seasons of life.

Throughout her 102 years, her life was filled with love so abundant that even her many names tell a story: Mrs. Roberts, Mother Dear, Mama, Aunt Susie, Grandma, Ms. Ellie, Choosie, My Lucy, Crocodile, and Sista. Each name given by someone who held a unique place in her heart.

The matriarch of her family, neighborhood, and church was ushered to her eternal home by her parents; beloved husband Harold; all her siblings; treasured son Stephen; eighth son Jeff Finley; great-grandson Chase; great-granddaughter Ricquie; and many dear friends.

Her love extended across generations. She leaves behind a legacy that includes ten children—Leonard, Susan, Michele, Tom, Richard, Rhonda, and David (Tosca), all of Dayton, and Joe (Carrie) and Tim (Danielle), Cincinnati, Ohio; nineteen grandchildren; twenty-two great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren; as well as special daughters-in-love Janice, Gloria, Regina, and Tracey; nieces; nephews; godchildren; chosen family; dear friends; devoted neighbors; former students; and the many hearts she touched along the way.

Susie was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, teacher, and friend. Her rich and impressive legacy spans more than a century of faith, service, resilience, intelligence, and love. Her contributions to her family, friends, church, and community enriched and inspired all of us—and left indelible marks of achievement, kindness, and love.

To continue Susie's legacy as a dedicated teacher and her lifelong commitment to uplifting the Dayton community she called home for nearly eight decades, donations can be directed to St. Benedict the Moor Catholic School, 138 Gramont Avenue, Dayton, OH 45417 or the Greater Edgemont Community Coalition, 919 Miami Chapel Road, Dayton, OH 45417.

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