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Maywood, Susan Lee (Ablett)
Susan Lee (Ablett) Maywood of Upland, California, formerly of Montpelier, died on December 31, 2020 at San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland as a result of complications from COVID-19.
Sue was born in Carbondale, Illinois, on May 3, 1947, the daughter of Beulah (Leukering) and LTC Charles Ablett. Her dad was a career Army officer and for the next 20 years the family moved to a new Army base almost every year, including West Germany, Virginia, and Kansas. Sue never got to call any place home for long and was constantly going to new schools and trying to make new friends, which she did with quiet courage.
Sue graduated from Leavenworth (Kansas) High School in 1965. She attended Kansas State University, but interrupted her education to move to Los Altos, California, to help her mother and her younger brother Dan while their father was stationed in Vietnam in 1966. The next year she continued her education at the University of Kansas.
Sue moved to Vermont in 1970 and, except for two years of graduate school, lived there for over 40 years. She worked for the State of Vermont and the University of Vermont, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Vermont in 1975, and a Master of Library Science from the University of Denver in 1977.
Upon her return to Vermont, Sue worked as a librarian for the State of Vermont Energy Office, the Agency of Human Services, and then as a librarian in the Montpelier school system (including Union Elementary School and Montpelier High School), where she remained for 25 years. She retired in 2009. In 2011 she moved to southern California to be near her brother Dan and his family.
Sue was an active member of Bethany United Church of Christ in Montpelier for many years. In those years, she served as Church President, Church Clerk, Deacon, and as a member of the Board of Outreach. She supported the church’s ministry in El Salvador and traveled there in 2007 as part of a delegation of 11 women. She also served as a lay reader and as a member of the Flower Committee. She enjoyed the church’s Annual Variety Show and got her start as an author writing and directing some very humorous skits about church life.
Sue loved animals, including Mattie, her black standard poodle, and Lotte, her long-haired black dachshund. She had a wry sense of humor and had compassion for all, especially her students, her women’s group, and her family.
Sue loved hiking and camping; she was a member of the Green Mountain Club Montpelier Section. She cared deeply about peace and the environment and was never one to tolerate injustice quietly.
Sue loved literature and the arts. In California she joined the La Verne Writer’s Group, where she wrote and collaborated with other regional authors. She was the author of the young adult time-travel fantasy trilogy, “Scraps of Time: The Hunting Horn;” “Back in Thyme,” and “Harvesting Fruits from the Past.” Her most recent publication was a novel entitled “Northern Light” (March, 2020).
Sue is survived by two brothers: Daniel R. Ablett (his wife Joyce, niece Cara, and nephew Ryan) and Tim Ablett, MD (his wife Marlene, nephew Joshua, nieces Melissa and Elizabeth). She is also survived by her cousins Anne Johnson, Bob Martin, Bill Martin of California, Marian Downing of Kentucky, and by her former husband George E. Longenecker of Middlesex.
A memorial service to honor Sue’s life will be held virtually at a date yet to be determined.
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