Susan Fell Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Sep. 30, 2024.

Susan Fell (Jean Susan Fell), born on June 21, 1949, passed away peacefully in her home in New Braunfels, Texas, on September 6, 2024. In her final moments, her daughters, Brooke and Erin, were by her side, holding her hands and surrounding her with love. She was 75 years old.

Susan was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. As a daughter in a military family, she grew accustomed to moving every few years, a fact of life that meant family would always be her one true home. As a child, she lived in Ohio, Newfoundland, and ultimately Abilene, Texas, where she attended Wylie High School and spent most of her free time as a "stable rat," riding horses and performing with the Dyess Saddle Club. Friends she made during those years remained her friends forever. She attended Cisco Junior College and remained in Texas during her early twenties, returning from Austin to visit her parents every weekend.

Still, no moss ever grew under Susan. By her twenties, Susan had married Frank, an Air Force officer, and resumed the nomadic lifestyle of her childhood. She told the best stories in long phone calls to family, when everyone picked up a receiver to listen to what was happening in Goose Bay, Labrador or New Orleans, or Florida or Michigan. When her marriage ended, Susan returned to New Braunfels, Texas where she and her children could remain close to family. In her day-to-day New Braunfels life, Susan worked for decades at the Comal Independent School district as PEIMS coordinator and webmaster, where colleagues still remember her as helpful, kind, and funny.

The New Braunfels years brought many connections, family gatherings she never missed, the joy of watching her three children grow into their own unique humans. Those years also saw the devastating loss of her son, Zach, an enduring heartache that challenged her characteristic strength.

In later life, her marriage to Aeron brought numerous adventures, including international travel, riding in a sidecar along the intercoastal highway and their helicopter wedding on a canyon ridge. More recently, she reconnected with her childhood sweetheart, Jim. As health struggles limited her adventures, Susan's trio of King Charles Cavalier Spaniels took on a pivotal role, offering her unconditional love and support.

Susan will be remembered for her legendary skill as a dogged and creative problem solver. When her daughter imagined a life-sized unicorn that could dispense beer from its mouth for her wedding reception, Susan found a full-sized metal horse at a junk shop and brought "The Beericorn" to life. (That unicorn reappeared, covered in Christmas lights as a sled-toting reindeer in subsequent holiday lawn displays.) She made a garden bench from the body of a VW bus. When the family decided to spread Grandpa Hales' ashes in Ireland, Susan navigated the complex process of disinterring them from his resting place at Fort Sam Houston. She could figure out how to sew anything, cook anything, or put anything back together before the days of YouTube videos.

Unapologetically herself, Susan was both stubborn and straightforward, yet generous and loving. She was always willing to help and cherished her family above all.

Susan is survived by her daughters, Brooke and Erin, and son-in-law Shayne; her grandchildren, Huck, Jayce, Jasper, and Tre; her brother, Casey Hales, and his wife Angie; her sister-in-law, Erin Hales; and her beloved nieces and nephews Kelli and Casey Johnson, David, Joe, Sean, Kelsey, and Katy Hales. She is preceded in death by her son, Zach Fell; her parents, Joseph and Betty Hales; her sister, Sheila Johnson; and her brother, Michael Hales.

Susan's ashes will be interred in Comal Cemetery in New Braunfels, Texas, with a private family ceremony to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to King Charles Cavalier Rescue or Gentiva Hospice Care.