Susan Harrison Hendrick, of Inverness, died at home on May 31, 2024, from complications with pancreatic cancer. She was 65.
Susan was the eldest child of Adeline and Bill Harrison, born on January 28, 1959 — a birthday she shared with two of her three siblings. A fifth generation Floridian, she grew up in Sarasota, where she delighted in going on boat rides through the bay with her family. The Harrisons also made frequent trips to the family ranch in Parrish and to Gainesville to cheer on the Florida Gators. A lifelong fan, she followed all Gator sports and took any losses to heart.
Susan was a devout Christian. She was raised at First Baptist Church of Sarasota and made her profession of faith when she was 8 years old. Her entire life, she was active in church ministries, most recently as a deacon and member of the prayer committee at First Presbyterian Church of Inverness. One of her projects with the church involved collecting suitcases for foster children.
Music was a defining part of Susan’s life. At age six, she began piano lessons. She honed her skills over the next six decades. Following the recitals of her youth, she played for countless church services, community concerts, weddings and funerals in Citrus County, where she lived for 36 years. Additionally, she played the organ and handbells, and had a beautiful voice. When she was not accompanying her church’s choir on the piano, she was likely singing in it.
Susan was among the first students at Pine View, Sarasota’s public school for gifted children. She graduated second in her class at age 17 in 1976. She then studied at Sophie Newcomb College, part of Tulane University, in New Orleans, where she majored in music and sociology, graduating summa cum laude in 1980 and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
A year earlier, on March 9, Susan’s life took a serendipitous turn. She had planned a weekend trip to Sarasota to attend a Vladimir Horowitz concert. When the renowned pianist canceled his performance, Susan’s mother suggested she remain at school. To cheer her up, Susan’s Phi Mu sorority sisters dragged her to a party, where she met a medical student, Tom Hendrick, who would be graduating and starting his residency in Ohio only a few months later.
Susan and Tom dated weekly for the remaining eight weeks of Susan’s semester, then continued their relationship long distance before marrying on June 14, 1980. While Tom worked as a surgical resident with the United States Air Force at Wright State University, Susan attended the University of Dayton School of Law. She graduated third in her class, was the editor of Law Review, and later received the highest score of anyone taking the Florida Bar exam in 1983.
Despite her acumen, Susan never practiced law. She had her daughter, Katie, in 1984, followed by her son, Charlie, in 1987. She devoted herself to their upbringing.
Though she loathed driving, she spent countless hours chauffeuring her children across central Florida to gymnastics, golf and tennis practices and competitions. She chaperoned field trips, helped with homework, prepared meal after meal and counseled her children through the travails of growing up. The family also enjoyed frequent trips to Disney World, as well as annual vacations over the children’s spring and summer breaks from school.
As empty nesters, Susan and Tom embraced traveling, visiting more than 70 countries and all seven continents. It was on a month-long cruise to New Zealand and Australia this winter that her illness became apparent.
Susan’s greatest joy was spending time with her family and her dogs, which, over the years, included several English setters, poodles, yorkies, a Lhasa Apso and two Biewer terriers. In 2019, she became a grandmother, a role in which she thrived. She relished visits and FaceTime calls with her grandchildren and showered them with thoughtful gifts.
She leaves behind Tom Hendrick, her husband of nearly 44 years; one sister, Nancy Taylor (Dobie); two brothers, Bill (Cathi) and Robert (Nancy) Harrison; her children, Katie Vincent (Bill) and Charlie Hendrick (Mia); four grandchildren, James and Andy Vincent and Ellery and Tanner Hendrick; and three dogs, Duke, Bailey and Tinsley. A visitation for Susan will be held on Wednesday, June 5th from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM from the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home in Inverness. The funeral service will be conducted on Thursday, June 6th at 11:00 AM, from the First Presbyterian Church of Inverness, 206 Washington Ave. with Rev. Lou Ellen Hartley, officiating. Burial will follow in Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL
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