Carolyn Sue Wilson (Hanna), lovingly known as “Susie” to family and friends and “Mrs. Wilson” to her many students, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 23, 2026, in DeLand, Florida. She was 83.

Susie was born on December 11, 1942, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Dorothy Jane Hilt Hanna and Frank J. Hanna. She was one of five sisters: Dolores Crotty, Peggy Hanna, Frances “Frankie” Meigs, and Patty Shearer. Frances “Frankie” Meigs (Kay) is her only surviving sister.

Raised in Kansas City, Susie grew up in a close-knit family and learned independence early, riding the bus on her own to work at the Sears Tower candy counter—an experience that may have sparked her lifelong love of chocolate. Her Missouri roots and strong family values shaped the compassionate, kind woman she would become.

Susie attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, now Truman State University, in Kirksville, Missouri. She graduated with honors in May 1964, earning a Bachelor of Science in Education. While in college, she was an active member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, where she formed many cherished lifelong friendships. It was also during her college years that she met the love of her life, Jerry Randolph Wilson.

Susie and Jerry were married on May 31, 1964, beginning a devoted marriage that lasted more than 55 years until Jerry’s passing in November of 2019. Together they built a life centered on family, faith, and service, eventually settling in Florida where their family continued to grow.

Susie was a dedicated elementary school teacher from the time she graduated college, spending decades doing what she loved most: teaching children to read and write. She taught hundreds of students in Volusia County Schools, with second grade being her favorite. Reading was her lifelong passion, and she took great joy in helping children discover books and develop confidence as readers. Teaching was not just her career—it was her calling.

Above all, Susie’s greatest passion was her family. She was a loving wife and mother, and a devoted aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother. She is survived by her children, Cris Wilson, Chip Wilson, and Polly Wilson (Ken Copley); her grandchildren, Jessica Serwanski (Riggs), Kelsey Helseth (AJ) and Wyatt Wilson; and her great-grandson, Andrew Owen Helseth.

Susie loved the beach, books, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She never met a stranger and was selfless and full of love her entire life. She lived her life by the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” She believed in loving her neighbors, making friends wherever she went, and treating everyone with kindness and compassion. She changed children’s lives with that kindness during her 20 plus years teaching elementary school. A former student stopped her son at a local market recently to let him know that she was “the nicest woman in Volusia County.” Her family credits her as the person who taught them how to be kind and care for others. She will be remembered as a woman whose quiet strength and kindness touched countless lives.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Haven Hospice, or that you honor Susie’s legacy by stopping by your local elementary school to settle a student’s lunch tab or donate books to a school or teachers’ library.

Carolyn Sue Wilson’s life was one of faith, service, love, and generosity. Her legacy lives on in the many children she taught, the family she nurtured, and the kindness she shared with everyone she met.