Susan Lockwood Lewis, 80, died peacefully Friday evening June 23, 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimers. She was born September 13, 1936 in Bridgeport, CT, the daughter of John and Virginia (Kerr) Lockwood. Susan was a history major at Middlebury College and graduated in the class of 1958 where she met her husband of 59 years, John Lewis, Jr. They settled in Middlebury and raised four children, eventually moving to Salisbury so that she could have chickens, ducks and horses. Her favorite horse was a Morgan named Velvet. Her ultimate passion in life was teaching and instilling a love of learning in young students. For over 20 years, she was a 4th/5th/6th grade teacher at Mary Hogan Elementary school. Susan was held in high regard by her colleagues and recognized on numerous occasions for her educational leadership. Her expertise lay in the areas of science, social studies and technology. She made it her mission to challenge her students to the very best of their performance ability. At Mary Hogan she was instrumental in putting forward more effective teaching methods in science classes that included a less theoretical and more on hands-on approach, believing that kids are self discovering as opposed to learning from text books. In 1991 she won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, traveling to Washington, DC for the ceremony. Her legacy is the thousands of Middlebury elementary students now living around the world who were inspired by her to reach their highest potential. Upon her retirement she volunteered at the Salisbury Elementary School, served on the Salisbury School Board, and was active in the local community. "Gramma Sue" loved to spend time and spoil her grandchildren and took great delight in hunting little critters with them including snakes and bugs. During family vacations on the coast of Maine, she would spend hours combing the tide pools for treasures with her grandchildren. She also loved books. Almost every day you could find her curled up on the couch lost in whatever book held her fancy that afternoon. Many times she would look up and say, "I think Ive already read this one, but I guess Ill just read it again". Sue and her husband were avid gardeners with extensive veggie and flower gardens. She loved to give tours of her gardens to any willing visitor. In her later years she enjoyed taking long walks on the many paths around her home in Salisbury. She loved sports and the outdoors her entire life, from softball to ice skating to ski instructing at the Middlebury Snowbowl. She grew up a Yankee and Giants fan, but later switched to routing for all New England teams. On Sundays you could often find her in front of the TV, with a Budweiser cheering for Tom Brady. Susan is survived by her husband John C. Lewis Jr., by her children, Laura Brockett of Randolph, NH., John C. Lewis III and wife Jennifer of Sherborn, MA., Doug Lewis and wife Kelley of Fayston, VT., and Jason Lewis of Boulder, CO., by her sisters, Janet Johnson, and Judy Johnson and husband Ron. Also by her grandchildren, Christopher Brockett, Sarah Brockett, Audrey Lewis, Olivia Lewis and Russell Lewis and by several nieces, nephews and cousins. A gathering of friends to celebrate Sues life will be held on Sunday, July 16th at the Waybury Inn from 3:00-5:00pm. The Lewis family invites friends to gather and share stories. Light fare and refreshments will be served. Arrangements are under the direction of the Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Home. Online condolences at www.sandersonfuneralservice.com In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Elderly Services of Vermont (http://elderlyservices.org/make-an-online-gift/) where both Sue and John enjoyed the great Project Independence program for many years. SERVICES Family Gathering Sunday, July 16, 2017 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Waybury Inn 457 E Main St East Middlebury, VT