Susanna Spencer Horner Obituary (1950 - 2021)

Susanna Spencer Horner, 70, of Springfield, Virginia, passed away peacefully in her home on January 21, 2021, surrounded by her loving family after a nearly two-year battle with brain cancer. Susanna was born to Joseph and Maude (Farley) Spencer on September 25, 1950 in Charlotte, NC. She earned her bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education from the University of Colorado in 1972, where she competed as a scholarship swimmer. After college, she lived in Hawaii for two years before moving to San Francisco, CA in 1974. In San Francisco she worked as an Assistant Women's Swim Coach for the University of California at Berkeley and joined the Dolphin Club, where she participated in the Escape from Alcatraz swim, among others! While in CA, she also met her husband, Richard. They married on April 9, 1977 in Clover, SC. Susanna was best known for her pursuit of health and fitness, and in 2004, after over a decade at home raising her three children, she received a Master of Education in Kinesiology from the University of Virginia. For 20 years she worked as a Physical Education teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools (Orange Hunt Elementary and Rolling Valley Elementary). Throughout her career, she developed creative ways to show her students the importance of health and wellness, such as inviting a local bowling truck to visit her school and winning a grant to purchase pedometers for her students to participate in step competitions. She loved teaching PE and was nominated for the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award in 2010. Susanna was an avid runner, swimmer, and cyclist. She loved to explore new places and later in life participated in several bicycle tours (Michigander and Great Allegheny Passage) with her cycling friends and brother, Tommy. She enjoyed traveling internationally to Spain, going camping, and visiting Bethany Beach. Susanna also loved the outdoors and seized every opportunity to go for a walk, hike, or bike ride, especially if it included a visit to a brewery afterward for a cold IPA! A talented and creative seamstress, Susanna could make anything, from clothes and curtains to dolls and toys. She enjoyed cooking nutritious meals for her family and friends, with her fresh baked bread being one of the most delicious treats! Susanna volunteered as a swim instructor and at an organization named Lose the Training Wheels, which helps disabled children learn to ride a bike. Susanna loved playing games, such as Michigan Rummy and cribbage, and collected card decks from each of the locations where she traveled. An avid reader and lifelong learner, she took advantage of the summer months away from teaching to explore new interests each year, such as learning how to make sushi or immersing herself in young adult literature. Susanna was frugal and practical, supportive and loving, and enthusiastic and intense in all the right ways! Susanna was preceded in death by her mother, Maude, and her father, Joseph. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Richard Bradford Horner; her three children and their families, Ginny (Ryan) Hodum, Spencer (Lori) Horner, and Katie (Mark) Nowakowski; her five grandsons Jameson, Teddy, Braden, Ellis, and Reed; her four brothers, Joe (Sara), Tommy (Mary), David (Betsy) and Ned (Kay); her nieces and nephews and their families, and an incredible community of friends. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to any of the following organizations that were near and dear to Susanna's heart. National Brain Tumor Society (https://braintumor.org/take-action/ways-to-give/) iCan Shine (Lose the Training Wheels) (https://icanshine.org/make-donation/) Musella Foundation (https://virtualtrials.org/Donate.cfm) University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (https://www.ummsfoundation.org/site/SPageServer/;jsessionid=00000000.app20067a?NONCE_TOKEN=8CB8A4ED883E66F41442DF555418648A&pagename=umgccc)