Susan Quarles Robinson's Obituary
Susan Quarles Robinson, 62, of Cornelius, NC passed away peacefully at home with family on Thursday, August 10, 2023, almost two years after receiving an unexpected advanced cancer diagnosis.
Education and Professional Life:
Susan was born in Chattanooga, TN on December 31, 1960 and graduated as a first generation college student with a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She began her career by acquiring a Series 7 license and working as a stockbroker with Dean Witter in Chattanooga. Susan then transitioned to the temporary staffing industry, initially working for Olsten in Chattanooga and then Adecco in Charlotte, NC.
Over a nine year period, Susan rose from managing one Adecco branch to becoming the Senior Vice President over Adecco’s southeastern U.S. region. Susan had P&L responsibility for a $500 million division, which spanned nine states and 120 different branches. She was a six-time Chairman's Club winner for consistently achieving top 5% financial results at Adecco, the world’s largest staffing company. However, Susan was proudest of her ability to handpick the most special people and find the perfect way to apply their talents towards growing one of the best teams in the entire company.
Susan was an exceptionally hard worker. She retired and unretired many times, never able to sit still or let an exciting opportunity pass her by. Susan was most recently Chief Human Resource Officer for CareXM, a healthcare organization supporting 4,500 facilities and their patients across the U.S. Through its Total Triage division, the company employs 600+ registered nurses who provide 24/7 telehealth support for home health and hospice care groups. Susan found the work of building healthcare-centered teams to be especially rewarding and was very proud of the meaningful care these teams provided for patients in need. Susan retired from CareXM in the fall of 2021 following her cancer diagnosis.
Personal Life:
Growing up in Tennessee, Susan developed a deep love for the mountains, waterfalls, and outdoor adventures. She was never satisfied staying on the beaten path and was well known for finding ways to add extra excitement to any experience – climbing slippery rock walls beside waterfalls, nearly turning over off-roading Jeeps in the islands, exploring dark caves, and suggesting countless times “let’s jump off that cliff into the water!” Susan’s love for adventure led her to travel many places around the world with family and friends: Italy, Greece, India, Cuba, Peru, Switzerland, Chile, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, to name a few. Susan especially loved annual trips to the Abacos and British Virgin Islands with Wade Sr. and friends where she would spend her days exploring remote islands by boat and learning new dance moves from the locals.
However, the thing that Susan always loved most was building relationships with people. One of Susan’s greatest gifts was making everyone that she encountered feel truly special. When Susan locked into a conversation, she would make you feel like you were the only person in the room, the most important person in her life at that moment. Friends went to Susan when they needed sound career coaching, a pick-me-up pep talk, or a wise word of advice. She was a creative and flexible thinker, natural mediator, and passionate problem solver. Susan was a non-judgmental listening ear and someone who would always make you feel seen. She was everyone’s personal cheerleader - Susan derived so much joy from sparking confidence, curiosity, and happiness in others. She valued relationships above all else and she cherished every single friendship that she made.
Susan was known for bringing extra sparkle and enthusiasm wherever she went. You could always count on her to be the first person on the dance floor and the last person talking at any event. She would dance to anything but always requested “We Are Family” (“I got all my sisters with me…”) when her three sisters were around. Susan enjoyed generously sharing her home on Lake Norman with anyone that would visit. She and Wade Sr. loved to host and make everyone feel welcome for as long as they would stay. Those who spent time in their home witnessed the special kind of love, enjoyment, and respect that characterized Susan and Wade Sr.’s relationship.
In her spare time, Susan volunteered as a Guardian Ad Litem, representing the interests of abused and neglected children in Mecklenburg county courts. She enjoyed participating in Bible study, playing with her tennis group, boating, and shopping at TJ Maxx. Susan loved exploring Lake Norman islands and creating special experiences for her grandchildren. She would say “yes” to anything that involved spending time with her family.
Susan was often the most beautiful person in the room but she never seemed to notice. Once, when her daughter called home from college asking for makeup advice, Susan famously responded “we focus on brains, not beauty!” In this spirit, Susan would rather point out that from her mother’s side, she inherited her incredible work ethic, fierce independence, appreciation for the importance of education, frugal spending habits, sharp intelligence, and effortless grace. From her father’s side, she inherited her near-irrational optimism, love of adventure and the outdoors, exceeding patience, easy going nature, and agreeable disposition. And perhaps from both sides, her sense of humor, love of talking, and great interest in people.
Susan approached everything in life with an incredible depth of emotional intelligence, calm, and composure. She always took the high road, never knew an enemy, and couldn’t seem to remember how to hold a grudge. Even in the darkest days of a terribly unfair illness, Susan never felt sorry for herself and could only express concern for how her disease affected those around her. Her initial prognosis was only “a few months” but she surpassed those odds and made it to almost two years. Susan showed incredible strength and carried herself with grace and dignity throughout her entire cancer journey. With very few exceptions, she found a way to laugh and experience joy every day with family and friends.
Family:
Susan leaves behind:
• A best friend and loving husband of 41 incredible years, Wade Robinson Sr. of Cornelius, NC;
• A kindhearted and funny son, Wade Robinson Jr. of Charlotte, NC;
• A friendly and gentle grandson, Wade Robinson III of Chattanooga, TN;
• A bright and passionate daughter, Emily Burke of Raleigh, NC;
• A devoted and determined son-in-law, Adam Burke of Raleigh, NC;
• A brave and curious granddaughter, Sofia Burke of Raleigh, NC;
• An optimistic and good-humored father, Arthur (Regina) Quarles of Chattanooga, TN;
• An independent and inquisitive mother, Frankie (Larry) Bobo of Mount Dora, FL;
• A strong and fearless sister, Karen McLaughlin of Chattanooga, TN;
• An intelligent and compassionate sister, Dr. Angela (John) Dempsey of Orlando, FL;
• A generous and talented sister, Patti (Dr. Jason) Bennett of Helotes, TX; and
• Fourteen nieces and nephews in addition to many other extended family members and godchildren, all of whom she loved deeply.
Celebration of Life & Memorial Benches:
Susan’s wish was to be cremated and for her family to hold a celebration of life in lieu of a more traditional funeral. There will be two celebrations - one near her home in Cornelius and another in her hometown of Chattanooga. Please see the "Events" section below for more details.
Susan also has two memorial benches that anyone is welcome to visit. The first bench is in Cornelius at Jetton Park, overlooking the water. This was Susan's favorite park to walk, play tennis, and take the grandkids to play. Google map location for first bench: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GD48BzZjmTre1N6Z7. The second bench is in Raleigh, where Emily's family lives, at Historic Oak View Park. Susan loved spending family time there in the pecan grove with the goats, chickens, and her grandbaby. Google map location for second bench: https://maps.app.goo.gl/UBreRMGwxnyzeR6u8.
Each bench has a plaque that reads: "Susan Robinson - lived fully, laughed often, and loved deeply."
Thanks:
Heartfelt gratitude to the amazing healthcare team that helped manage Susan’s disease at every stage with such kindness and expertise. Especially her oncologists, Dr. Richard Krumdieck and Dr. Aakanksha Asija, Nurse Practitioners, Karen Carson and Amy Bush, and the entire staff at Novant Oncology in Mooresville, NC.
Also thanks to the fantastic hospice team at Via Health Partners in Davidson, NC and Susan’s wonderful private home nurse, Brea Sherrill, who all kept her comfortable, pain-free, and able to enjoy these last couple of months surrounded by family and friends at home.
Finally, thanks to all who have supported Susan and her family in so many ways during this journey. It has meant everything and they can only hope to repay all the love you have shown.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society in Susan’s memory at donate.cancer.org.
Photos and Videos:
To view an album with photos and a cherished video of Susan, please navigate to the “Photos and Videos” tab above.
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