Susan Delores (Brown) Heflin of Kenosha Wisconsin passed away peacefully, with family by her side, on Saturday February 17, 2024, at Aurora hospital. She will be greatly missed.
Born in Racine, Wisconsin to Vivian V. Brown of Phelps WI., and Dorothy E. A. (Wright) Brown of Racine. She was baptized at Atonement Lutheran Church and attended Howell elementary and Park High School.
In 1955 she married John (Jack) Harrison of Racine after meeting him in jail, where she had gone to get information about a car accident. They were blessed with “Irish twins”, a daughter Jonell Sue and 11 months later a son John Hunter.
She was a very loving mom and like many Irish mothers, she kindly never made her children “wait until your father gets home!” She always had a deep appreciation for quality linens and fabrics, but used the flowered towels that came in Cheer laundry soap boxes and would also allow her children to use her special hand carved wooden clothespins to pound into the ground through the corners of her blankets thrown over the clotheslines to make tents.
She divorced, then met and married Walter Heflin of Omaha Nebraska in 1975 and enjoyed being a step-mom to Janet and Robert and accompanying Walt when he traveled for work. They spent many years going to camp in Edgerton WI for the summers.
She was a simple woman who loved her family and pets, especially dogs. Her other enjoyments were coffee, cigarettes, Norwegian julekog, applesauce cake, dark chocolate and snowfalls.
It was always easy for her to make friends, as she was a good listener and had a wonderful but dry sense of humor and often kept get well cards made out to herself on the counter in case company came, so that they would understand why she hadn’t dusted. Even her in-laws loved her.
Researching good real estate transactions was one of her many skills as she bought, rented, and sold many homes. She was a pioneer in genealogy research and believed in doing it the old way. She traveled to many towns and dug around in the libraries, newspapers, and knocked on doors. A method learned from her paternal grandmother who found her own mother (believed to have disappeared) by going to a gypsy fortune teller in Kenosha, who actually directed her to Chicago where she did find her.
Always on the hunt for a really good deal, she could easily see the possibilities in something, which ended up being an irreversible curse that she somehow inflicted onto her friends and family. We are all now passionately driven to relentlessly search for “possibilities”. Called dumpster diving, Junking, or rummaging by some, only the truly afflicted have developed “a good eye”. (You know who you are.) After decades of success in this endeavor, she often sold, traded or gifted much of her collections, but ultimately had accumulated a “Hell of a lot” of really cool and interesting finds that had been packed away for so long that now, everyone appreciated, but no one really had a use for it.
So the family asks that if one day you should happen to find yourself driving behind someone who keeps slowing down and rubbernecking at an obscure pile of seemingly useless or possibly interesting junk along the roadside; kindly tip your hat in reverence, for it’s probably one of our relatives, and they know not what they do.
In lieu of flowers, please promise to go visit one of your relatives and share many beers and stories.
Preceded in death by her parents, and son John Hunter Harrison in 2018.
Survived by Daughter- Jonell S. Sullivan (Timothy)
Step children -Janet Smith (Larry) and Robert Heflin (Shelli)
Grand children- Christopher Talbert, (Leanne), Jessica Harrison, Jacob Roanhaus, Casey Lehner, (Eric), Grant Roanhaus, (Ashley Swan), Amanda Beilke, (Kevin), Jaymie Harrison
Step grandchildren- Austin Lucksted, (Amanda), Katelyn Bittner, (Jarrad) , Kelsey White, (Dakarai), Meghan Smith, Rachel Wember, Amber Morrissey, (Matt), Joshua Heflin,(Joanna),
Great grandchildren- Uriah Talbert, Christopher Roanhaus, Elijah Roanhaus, (Kandi), Cade Whitrock, Ivy Whitrock, Emmett Lehner, Beckham Lehner, Gavin Beilke, Gunner Beilke
Step great grandchildren -Shayla Lucksted, Ruby Lucksted, Marley Miller, and 4 others on Heflin side.
Cousin- Christine Jeckel, (Herb) and 2nd cousins- Patrick (Ricky) Brown, (Jeanie), Daniel Brown, (Debbie), Jon Ellison, and Raeanne Ellison
Brothers in law- Howard Heflin, (J), and Joseph Heflin, (Cam)
There will be a Celebration of Life Service at 11:30 A.M. on Saturday March 2, 2024 at the Bruch Funeral Home followed by inurnment at Westlawn Cemetery, 9000 Washington Avenue, Racine WI. Visitation will be held from 10:00 A.M. until the time of service
The family wishes to thank the staff at Robin Way Assisted Living and Aurora Hospice for their sincere care.
