Susan T. (Johnston) Counsell

Susan T. (Johnston) Counsell, 64 of Augusta, GA and formerly of Kearney and Bellevue, NE died Friday, November 14, 2014 at the Mercy Regional Health Center in Manhattan, KS of pancreatic cancer. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, November 29, 2014 at First Lutheran Church in Kearney. The Rev. Rebecca McDermott will officiate. Inurnment will be in the church columbarium. Memorials will be established by the family. Online condolences or personal reflections may be submitted at osrfh.com. O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. She has been a resident of Augusta, Ga., since 1998. She was the loving mother and grandmother to three children and six grandchildren. Susan was born October 2, 1950, in Kearney, Neb., to Carl and Mae Johnston and was the oldest of six children. She attended elementary, junior high and high school in Kearney, Neb., through 1967 and graduated from Bellevue (Neb.) High School in 1968. Susan worked for National Indemnity for 10 years and the Corp of Engineers for five years in Omaha before moving to Georgia. She was a graduate of Valdosta State University (VSU) with a BBA in Accounting in 1998. She was an avid VSU Blazers supporter and Nebraska Cornhusker fan. Following graduation from VSU, Susan worked as an accountant for various companies before retiring in 2012. Susan was very strong in her Christian faith and was a lifelong member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. She was baptized at Bethal Lutheran Church in Holdrege, Neb., in 1950 and was confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Kearney, Neb., in 1964. Susan was a founding member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Valdosta, Ga. She was a member of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Augusta, Ga., at the time of her death. She was a lifelong member of Girl Scouts; beginning as a scout, and later as a volunteer for her daughter’s and granddaughters’ troops. She also volunteered with both of her sons’ Boy Scout Troops. She was an active volunteer with the JROTC program and Parent Advisory Board at the Academy of Richmond County in Augusta, Ga., while her son, Ben, was a student. She was a member of the Nebraska Jaycees and was president of the local chapter in Bellevue, Neb. Susan had a lifelong love of music and sang in various choirs in school and church. She passed this love on to her children, always playing music at home and in the car. She enjoyed crafts and creating pictures with cross stitch. Susan loved to travel, having visited most states and both oceans in the United States. Her favorite trip was to the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, and her favorite place was Yellowstone National Park. Most of all, Susan loved spending time with her friends and family. In recent years, she enjoyed spending time with her six grandchildren. Susan was preceded in death by her father, Carl B Johnston, Jr., of Kearney, Neb. She is survived by her mother, Mae Johnston of Kearney; son, Dennis Counsell, of Omaha; daughter, Michelle Williams (Roger), of Manhattan, Kan.; son, Benjamin Perry (Kayleigh), of Ware Shoals, S.C.; and four granddaughters, two grandsons, four brothers and one sister.

Susan T. (Johnston) Counsell

October 1, 1950 - November 14, 2014