SOUTH PORTLAND – Susan Mary Stewart, 74, passed away Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough. As she crossed over with an expression of peace and gratitude, she felt the reassuring touch of her husband and the muzzle of her little dog, Tugg.

Susan was born in Lynn, (Lynn, Mass., city of … you know the rest) on Dec. 11, 1949, to George and Gloria Stewart. Growing up in Lynn, Baltimore, Dayton and Philadelphia as her father progressed in his career, Susan graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pa.

Susan made an impact in each city of her professional career: from working in various schools at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, as a Research Editor for Legg Mason in Baltimore, to her greatest joy, working for Southern Maine Community College as the Administrator for the Nursing Program, shepherding over 2,000 students on their path to heal others. In addition to the work she did within the program, she was able to draw on experiences from her early diagnosis of systemic lupus when she had several very serious hospitalizations. Whether she was a guest speaker in the classroom or a keynote speaker at nursing graduations (during pinning ceremonies), the strong message she communicated was: “Nurses saved my life.”

Susan lived life as a banquet: acting in plays in high school and college, climbing the White Mountains, touring the Soviet Union, Georgia, and Ukraine in the 1980s, sailing and working on the Pride of Baltimore II, frequenting jazz clubs talking with legends, and driving four days through a Nor’easter to move to her beloved Maine in 1997.

Susan had a great love of family! She dearly loved living it up with her brother and sisters: love, laughter, food, and wine! She also enjoyed her quiet times hangin’ with Rob and Tugg in front of the woodstove or their screened in deck depending on the weather.

She was predeceased by her parents and survived by her soulmate and husband, William Robert (Rob) “Bear” Schreiber, her devoted siblings Betsy, Mark and Anne, their spouses (Neil, Mary and JB), her nephews (Mark, Jr., Ben, Con, Stewart and Reid), and a lifetime of friends who adored her. A private service followed by a public Celebration of Life reception at the McKernan Center at SMCC will occur at 10 a.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Susan really wanted to be able to vote for our President, Joe Biden again in 2024. If you are already planning on voting, please have the “third rail conversation” with another, imparting the wisdom that this election is about all of us being able to agree and disagree at the table. Joe is the only one who will give us space to be family.

In closing, the family would like to thank Sarah L. Ketchum, M.D. and her incredible team at Maine Health Cancer Care in South Portland and the Gibson Pavilion at Maine Medical Center, giving Susan the time to exit the stage with grace.

Online condolences may be expressed at http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, please have Susan’s back

and vote in 2024.

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