Susan Rhodes Sommers, 92, of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully, held in the love of her family. A longtime and beloved resident of Bethlehem, Susan poured her heart into family, faith, music, and the countless people whose lives she touched along the way.

Born March 23, 1934, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Susan spent her childhood moving throughout the South and the Northeast. Those early years of change and adjustment gave her a quiet toughness and a gift for adapting that stayed with her all her life.

Susan was a graduate of Beaver College (Arcadia University), where she shined both academically and personally - earning seven of the ten awards given to her graduating class, including top honors for the highest grade-point average across all four years. It was an early glimpse of the intelligence, drive, and high personal standards that would shape her numerous contributions to family, church, and community.

She began her career as an English and History teacher, a role that allowed her to share her love of learning with young people, before stepping away from teaching to raise her own children. Later, she returned to work as Executive Director of the Bethlehem Chapter of the American Red Cross, bringing to that mission the same warmth, practicality, and deep sense of care that shaped everything she did.

Later still, Susan trained and worked as a myotherapist, pursuing her enduring desire to ease the pain of others. She offered her time and skill generously, often simply because someone was in need. Through this work, she helped many people, bringing to each person the same compassion, attentiveness, and caring hands that characterized so much of her life.

Faith and music were woven through Susan's life. She was a devoted member of the Bach Choir and the multiple choirs she led with joy and dedication at East Hills Moravian Church. Singing was one of her truest pleasures, and her beautiful voice is something everyone who knew her will remember fondly.

Susan also found delight in reading, gardening, and sewing. She had a gift for taking care of people - for noticing what needed to be done and quietly doing it. Friends and family knew that whatever the problem, Susan would handle it with grace and good sense. She met life's hardships with resilience, yet beneath that toughness was a profound and abiding love for the people in her life. And she never lost her wonderfully irreverent sense of humor, which kept everyone around her smiling.

More than anything, Susan cherished her family. She loved being a grandmother most of all, and she became a steady source of wisdom and guidance for so many over the years. She leaves behind her husband, Rev. Dr. Gordon Sommers; her son, James Byron Fraivillig; her daughter, Judith Louise Fraivillig; her stepsons, David Sommers and Paul Sommers; her stepdaughter, Kristel Seagreaves; and her grandchildren, Marisa Maddox, Kurt Fraivillig, Maxine Fraivillig, Tim Sommers, Collin Sommers, Tyler Maddox, Jacob Bell, Andrew Seagreaves, Gabriel Fraivillig, Trevor Seagreaves, and Julia Fraivillig, along with seven cherished great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Jill Fraivillig Maddox.

Susan's life was long, rich, and deeply woven into the people and communities she loved. She leaves behind a family, a church family, and so many others who will carry her memory, and her voice, in their hearts.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 24, at East Hills Moravian Church. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by the service at 2:00 p.m., with a reception to follow. Family and friends are warmly invited to join us as we remember and celebrate a life so dearly cherished.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Bethlehem Public Library or Heifer International to honor Susan's memory.