DANIELSVILLE, Ga. – Emily Susan Willingham passed away Jan. 8, 2019. Her husband felt her final heartbeats as he cradled her in his arms. She fought a courageous battle against cancer and never gave up.

Susan was born in Starkville, Miss., on Aug. 4, 1954, to Charles and Lucy Willingham, and traveled about the country as a child going wherever her father was stationed in the Army.

She met her husband, Mark Breitenfeld, in Salt Lake City, Utah, while working in a nursing home where they both sought to bring comfort and happiness to those nearing the end of their lives. She had a special affinity for the elderly that would stay with her for her entire life.

When Susan and Mark left Salt Lake City, they did it on bicycles, and two years later when they rode into the small town of Buckfield, Maine, they made it their home for the next 35 years. They built their own house, and Susan immediately went to work for the elderly as a caregiver, handyman, and especially as a friend.

She liked to grow flowers, and canoe in quiet places, and play her banjo. Her friends knew she was a special woman, and her smile and laughter brought joy to all of them.

In 2015, she and Mark retired to Danielsville, Ga., where they built another house. They volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and the local library, and of course, the Madison County Senior Center, where once again she spread her magic and was loved by all. Her passing leaves a hole in many hearts.

She is survived by her husband, Mark; two brothers, Charles and James Willingham; and also by brother-and-sister-in-law, James and Gail Breitenfeld.

There will be no service, but her ashes will be spread where she can help something beautiful grow.

Lord and Stephens, Danielsville, Ga., is in charge of arrangements: www.lordandstephens.com