- Date Of Birth: January 18, 1946
- Date Of Death: February 9, 2017
- State: Alabama
Susie Illges Lanier Maxwell died at home on February 9, 2017 after a dignified battle with cancer. Born January 18, 1946, Susie was the youngest of three daughters born to Emma Louise and Norman S. Illges of Columbus, Georgia. She attended St. Elmo Elementary & Columbus High Schools before enrolling in Columbus College (now Columbus State University) and later graduated from the Lamar Dodd College of Art at the University of Georgia with a degree in Fine Art. She married Bruce N. Lanier Jr. of Lanett, Alabama, where the two would eventually settle following a few years residing in New York, New York.
Susie was a devoted wife and the mother of two children. Throughout her life she actively nurtured and supported her family and her community.
Susie’s creativity manifested itself in many ways. A highly-trained and naturally talented artist, she enjoyed an abundance of artforms and shared her talent readily in ways large and small. Susie’s creativity was also evident in her bustling kitchen. She cultivated a lifelong love of cooking, and her repertoire of “secret” recipes was legendary.
Above all, Susie was a great friend. Those friendships flourished around boardroom tables and gallery openings and a host of civic activities, as well as chance encounters in the grocery store. Most recently, she enjoyed her time with her book club in Auburn, an addition to her long-standing social commitments to the Academy Wives in and around Atlanta, and, of course, her beloved Bridge Club.
Susie’s generous spirit expressed itself through committed support for causes and organizations that expanded educational, healthcare, and cultural opportunities both in the Greater Valley area and in her native Columbus. She served as the Chairwoman of the Alabama-Georgia Hospital Auxiliary and served on the boards of Springwood School; The Greater Valley Educational Foundation; the New Horizon Community Theater; the Riverside Country Club; the Chattahoochee Valley Humane Society; the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation; and many more.
In 2008, Susie was preceded in death by her husband Bruce. In 2012 she married Charles (“Charlie”) Maxwell, also of Lanett, Alabama, and together they enjoyed the last five years traveling and actively engaged in the lives of their expanded and growing families. Susie invested her love in Charlie’s son and daughter and their families with the same enthusiasm as she did her own children and grandchildren.
Susie’s ever-present smile, graceful manner, and wit complimented her deep empathy and love for everyone she knew and cared for. She is survived by her husband Charlie, and by her son Bruce Lanier III of Birmingham, Alabama and his wife Leewood Avary Lanier; and by her daughter Shannon Illges Lanier of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and her husband David Steele. She also leaves five grandchildren: Avary, Bruce IV, Jim, Savannah Grace, and Freddie; and her two sisters: Judy Harding of Columbus, Georgia, and Shannon Candler of Atlanta, Georgia, and her husband Peter Candler, as well as a host of adoring nephews, nieces and great-nieces and -nephews.
She is also survived by Charlie’s children and grandchildren, who she regarded as her “second family.” They include De De King of Pine Mountain, Georgia, and her husband Keith King, and Charlie’s son, Jay Maxwell of LaGrange, Georgia, as well five grandchildren: Alivia, Kylie, Jameson, Lewis, and Miles.
