Obituaries : Susan Ann Griffin

Susan Ann Griffin, 70, of Dysart, Iowa, passed away suddenly on November 6, 2023, in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, at her winter residence due to a heart attack. She was cremated as per her personal wishes. No funeral service is planned; however, a small family celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Susan was born on May 15, 1953, in Fort Worth, Texas, the daughter of Roy Hudson, Sr. and Vaejoy (Nelson) Turner. She lived with her family for a short time in Wichita Falls, Texas, before they moved to the Fort Worth suburb of Haltom City, Texas, where she graduated from high school. Following a brief earlier marriage and divorce, she married Michael Griffin in Tarrant County, Texas, on January 7, 1977. The couple moved to Dysart, Iowa, shortly after their wedding and resided there for the remainder of her life.

Susan's early interest in computers coincided with the introduction of personal computing in the 1980s. Utilizing her skills, she published one of the first municipal websites in Iowa for the town of Dysart in the early 1990s. She also operated a small computer business out of her home and later worked as a computer technician for larger companies in the Waterloo, Iowa, area.

After suffering a debilitating leg injury caused by a forklift accident while at a work site, Susan started a new career as a travel agent for a small firm in Waterloo. She loved to travel and made numerous trips to countries like Mexico, Germany and China. Through her travels, she discovered that warmer climates helped alleviate her chronic leg pain, leading her to spend her winters in Mexico after retirement.

Susan was passionate about family genealogy and was able to build a large database for her future generations. She also enjoyed listening to audiobooks and podcasts on a wide variety of topics. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family and close friends, cherishing her grandchildren as her special jewels.

She is survived by her husband, Michael; her three sons: Kelly (Yvonne Fischer) Hammons, of Joshua, Texas, William (Morgan Horning) Griffin, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Richard (Min Zhuang) Griffin, of Dysart, Iowa; five grandchildren; a brother and an aunt and uncle. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, a sister and numerous aunts and uncles.