Susan Olivia Earls

Susan Olivia Earls was born July 27, 1967 to Wilton Earls and the late Katie Lee Earls in Gainesville, GA. She departed this life on February 17, 2025.

She was preceded in death by her mother Mrs. Katie Lee Earls and her grandparents, the late Mathew and Stella Mae Buffington, and Will and Clifford Earls.

Susan Olivia Earls grew up with strong ties to the community in Hall County as a respected scholar and student-athlete. She went on to help lead the East Hall High School women’s basketball team, Lady Vikings, to the state championship game during her junior year. 

After high school, she went on to obtain her associate’s degree from UNG in 1989. With a passion for both business management, people, and hospitality, she started working at Holiday Inn in Gainesville in the early 90s in guest services. She later transferred to Holiday Inn Suwanee in the late 90s and with parent company, IHG, she joined the corporate team as the New Hotel Start-up Coordinator. She worked there for over a decade and in 2012 she left the hotel business and started working at Northside Hospital in the billing department, where she was a faithful employee until her passing.

She was a lot of things but the most important characteristic to her was that she was a daughter of Christ. She was a firm believer in the power of God and the Holy Spirit’s ability to transform us. In 1999, she joined Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Lilburn, Georgia and on June 10, 2017 she received a Certificate of Completion from Salem Missionary Baptist Church School of Ministry. At Salem, she enthusiastically served on the ASL ministry as she was very passionate about sign language, and connecting with others in this special way, committed to helping the hearing impaired receive the word of God.

She was a loving family woman who was the youngest of four children, leaving to cherish her memories her father Wilton Earls, brothers, Gary (Lynn) Earls, and Jerry Earls, and sister, Linda (David) Clark, and sister-in-law of 16 years Liza Lofton. She was a doting aunt and referred to being an aunt as a “charge from God” that she did not take lightly as she deeply loved her 8 nieces and nephews, and 14 great nieces and nephews. She was also a beloved niece, cousin, and dear friend to many.

Though battling a prolonged illness herself, her primary focus consistently remained on her ministry, family, and her faith. Susan was a beacon of light who was full of wisdom, sass, humor, and beauty inside and out and will be truly missed and forever cherished by her entire family and friends.