Susan Anderson, who once ran a marathon in Hawaii, died on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at her home in Sarasota, after a brief illness.

She was a kind, good natured, gentle woman who loved music, the theater, movies and people. She volunteered for several organizations. In fact, last year the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota gave her an award as the Outstanding Senior Volunteer for her extraordinary dedication.

She also interviewed scholarship applicants for the P.E.O. Sisterhood, IZ chapter, a nonprofit helping women pursue their educational goals.

Susan was born on June 5, 1943, in Chicago to Marion Vergan Anderson and Lloyd Robert Anderson. Susan’s family moved to Bethesda, Md., from Chicago when she was 3. Her father was a sales rep and inventor for the hardware company Rixon in the Washington, D.C. area.

Susan attended the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and American University. She lived in Paris, France, for five years but returned to Washington where she worked for the executive director of Phi Beta Kappa for many years as well as the Institute for Palestine Studies. She also served as a liaison for the Council of American Ambassadors.

She was predeceased by her parents and her sister Carol Elizabeth Anderson Crampton Heller of Waldorf, Md. She is survived by a nephew, Thomas Crampton of Winchester, Va.

Susan’s friends are collecting donations to purchase a paver outside the new Florida Studio Plaza in memory of her.

Susan suggested that donations in her honor go to the Trust for the National Mall, Endow a Cherry Tree Project, which is responsible for the protection and preservation of the cherry trees on the Tidal Basin. Website: https://nationalmall.org/adopt-a-cherry-tree. Another option for donations is the Key Chorale of Sarasota.

There will be a graveside service at a later date.