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Susan “Sue” Summers Goodson
September 27, 1946 – May 03, 2023
Susan “Sue” Summers Goodson was born in Fairbury, Nebraska on September 27, 1946, the oldest of nine children born to Samuel R. and Ruth E. Law Summers of Belvidere, Nebraska. In 1957, the family moved to Alexandria, Nebraska. Sue thrived in the Alexandria Public School, graduating in 1964 while overcoming a major orthopedic operation earlier that year.
After high school graduation, Sue moved to Omaha, living with her Aunt Jane. She attended business school, and worked as a baby sitter after classes. She graduated with a certificate in legal secretarial studies and began work at Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company in the records division.
During her time in Omaha, Sue began a correspondence with a friend’s brother that started a relationship that lasted 56 years after Sue married Lloyd Goodson in Alexandria, Nebraska on October 8, 1966. The couple lived in San Antonio, Texas, where she did secretarial work and the couple’s first daughter, Samantha, was born. They moved to Lincoln in 1968, where her second daughter, Amy, was born in 1970.
When her children started school, she volunteered at Prescott Elementary School and became active in PTA. She went on to serve PTA in leadership positions at local, city, and state levels, serving as state president in 1983-1985. She served as state PTA office manager for a more than a year. Sue led trips across Nebraska telling the PTA story and establishing new units. She attended national PTA conventions around the country, usually making the trip as part of the family vacation. Her close relationship to Lincoln Public Schools caused her to run for school board and be a founding member of the LPS Foundation.
Her PTA activities sparked an interest in parliamentary procedure and meeting organization. She began studying
Parliamentary Procedure with others around Lincoln and on her own. Her major interest was bylaws and meeting management and organization. She began to go to regional and national meetings of Nebraska State Association of Parliamentarians and National Association of Parliamentarians and served in leadership positions at local and state levels, serving as state president in 1994-1996 and 2008-2010 and was the 2009 Nebraska Parliamentarian of the Year.
Over the years, Sue served many community causes. Her children and volunteering in schools brought Sue into Scouting and Camp Fire. She was a Girl Scout leader and served as State Fair Superintendent of the Campfire Division until its end. Interest in public television for entertainment and teaching caused Sue, and the whole family, to participate in the fund raising activity known as the Nebraskans for Public Television Auction where she served as Bid Confirmation chairman for more than a decade. She served two terms as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Park Middle School and Malone Center. At Park she set up a program to match teachers-in-training with after-school tutoring for any student that wanted academic help and formalized contacting parents of students who missed school that day. At Malone she worked with students who wanted help. After joining the Lincoln Women’s Chamber of Commerce, a group of women in the Lincoln business world who want to help the non-profits of Lincoln, she was the coordinator of the LWCC annual fundraiser, “Homes for the Holidays” for more than ten years.
With many veterans in Sue’s family, she became active in the American Legion Auxiliary. She served the Lincoln and Alexandria units in many officer positions, including president of both units. She served in county and district positions. In recent years she coordinated Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and other celebrations at the Alexandria unit.
Sue often said she only took paid employment so she could “support her volunteer habit”. She worked at two Lincoln legal firms, Nebraska State Department of Agriculture and Court Administrators offices, a custom typing business, and several other short-term clerical positions.
She was preceded in death by her parents Sam and Ruth Summers and younger brother Andy.
Those who will miss her are her husband of 56 years, Lloyd of Lincoln NE, daughters Samantha of Norfolk NE, Amy and husband Steve, and grandchildren Cor and Ethan of Arlington VA, brothers Bob (Vickie) of Hastings NE, Dave (Rene) of Alexandria NE, Rick of Hastings NE, Steve of Hastings NE, Joe (Lucy) of Alexandria NE, Tim (Cheryl) of Eagle NE, and sister Cindy (Ralph) of Lincoln NE. There are 18 nieces and nephews and many great nieces and nephews. Additionally, she will be greatly missed by her “proxy children”, Anne Wright of Pittsburg PA, Rhys McNally of Lincoln NE, and Chanity Hervey of Lincoln NE.
Memorials to Lincoln Public Schools Foundation.
Visitation June 26, 2023 at 5:30–7:30 at First Plymouth Church, 20 & D Street, Lincoln NE, and services June 27 at 1:30 at Presbyterian Church, Alexandria NE. Price Funeral Home of Hebron, NE is assisting with arrangements. www.priceurbauerahrendts.com.
