Susan Kay Blume-Babcock 1953-2021 Susan Kay Blume-Babcock was born on May 16, 1953, in Wyandotte, Michigan to Lodema Kay Townsend Blume (1920-1981) and Paul Wilson Blume (1907-1985.) An only child, Susan was cherished by her parents. Her father worked as a chemical engineer at Ford Motor Company and her mother as a high school English teacher. She grew up in Helen Street in South Detroit. At Schafer high school, Susan distinguished herself earning a full scholarship to college from Ford Motor Corporation. Susan attended Oakland University in Rochester Michigan where she met her future husband Robert Babcock in 1974. At Oakland, she led in developing the university's first student cooperative dorm, and in 1975 graduated Magna Cum Lade with a Degree in Speech Communications. After gaining admission to several graduate programs, Susan followed Robert when he finally gained admission to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. UMass Amherst eagerly admitted her to the doctoral program in communication studies. Susan and Robert were married in 1977. She cared deeply about people, and left school to serve as a social worker for the Northampton Council on Aging. Susan ultimately resigned from the Council on Aging when asked to work in ways that violated her ethical responsibilities to serve the clients whom she adored. After her resignation, Susan maintained close relationships with several of her clients for many years. Susan then served as the Director of Volunteer Services at Smith College in Northampton Massachusetts where she worked with agencies offering positions to ensure that students received professional experiences, which gained her the approval of the President of Smith College, Jill Cur Conway, and the Board of Trustees. Susan left Smith College to devote herself to caring for her father and starting her own family. Susan's father died in 1985 and in September of 1988 she gave birth to her first child. In 1991 she completed her Master's Degree at The University of Massachusetts Amherst, researching gender differences in the use of language in small claims court, before becoming a full-time Mom. After the birth of her second child in 1992, Susan and her family moved to Auburn Alabama where she spent the rest of her life. Susan strongly supported her husband in several career changes and worked unstintingly to help the family cope with resulting financial complexities. She struggled with chronic health challenges but never stopped trying to leave her mark on the world. Susan was an artist and, despite trouble using her hands, she worked in both digital medium and clay. She loved film and participated in the film studies program at Emory University where she often dreamed of going back to school to get her Ph.D. in film studies. Susan passed away, unexpectedly, at home on December 2, 2021. She is survived by her husband, two children, Adrienne, and Zane, her loyal dog Gabe, and numerous cousins and other family members. She was buried in a green grave, in Tallapoosa Memory Gardens cemetery in Camp Hill Alabama. As per her wishes as a devoted and lifelong Episcopalian, she was buried in a small private service provided by Father John Kline. A memorial service will be held at a safer later at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship once the risk of covid has decreased. To be informed of the date of the memorial service please email SusanBlumeBabcockMemorial@gmail.com. The family requests that those wishing to honor her passing make donations to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, bbrfoundation.org.