Susan "Sue" Booth

Susan “Sue” Booth, 77, was born on August 21, 1948, in Wichita, KS, the only daughter of William and Leona Jean (Davis) Shumate. Affectionately known as Mommo by her family, she was a loving mother, grandmother, and friend.

An older sister to William “Bill” Schumate, Sue grew up in communities across the country, moving frequently for her father’s work with Boeing but spending the most time in Wichita. She ultimately had her son Andrew “Andy” Glenn Booth and met her husband Hank while out dancing with her best friend and partner in crime, Diana. She married Henry “Hank” Mills Booth on December 22, 1971, in Wichita, KS. Hank, Sue, and son Andy moved to White Sands Missile Range when Hank was stationed there shortly after the wedding. After a brief time in the Southwest, the family returned to Lawrence so Hank could manage KLWN while his father served in the state senate. They planted roots and welcomed two daughters, Amy Elizabeth in 1974, and Rebecca Amber in 1977.

In Lawrence, Sue found her permanent home and a community she would contribute to with direct service and through her family. Sue volunteered with Independence Days, was a community leader with the Kanza 4H Club, volunteered with Douglas County Extension and Hannah’s House, a local non-profit, and served on the Douglas County Fairboard. She was also the steady partner and anchor to husband Hank, whose work as a broadcaster, perennial volunteer, and community leader kept him crisscrossing Lawrence throughout their lives together. Hank and Sue were a team–if you saw Hank in public, Sue was the engine behind him. They were married for 51 years before he passed in 2023, and stayed crazy about each other to the very end.

It wasn’t just for Hank that Sue served as a steady force and central figure. An independent woman who loved hard, she was a great storyteller, a strong debater, and a champion for her family. She had an ornery sense of humor and iron will. Sue grew up roller skating but never competed in the roller derby popular during her youth. That didn’t stop her children from believing for decades that she had once skated the circuit as the faux roller derby persona “Boom Boom Booth”--a fib perpetuated by her husband, and never debunked by Sue herself, to explain how tough she was.

Sue loved delicious and beautiful things. She helped teach her children and grandchildren to cook by spending summers baking recipes for the county fair and was famous for her imitation crab canapes, chili, and baked beans. She had a sweet tooth that would give the tooth fairy nightmares and her family cautions the Hyee bakery department to perhaps produce fewer chocolate chip muffins and scotcheroos. Sue was also an avid shopper and was evangelical about her beliefs. “If you love it, buy it in three colors,” she often said. “If it’s on sale, it doesn’t count.” At different times in her life, she was a connoisseur of purses, makeup, and perfumes–all of which she’d share generously with anyone who asked. She was a fixture at The Silver Clipper salon in Lawrence, and always had her hair and nails done.

Sue also loved to have fun and her definition was often quite particular. She loved red beers, champagne, and Diet Rite. She detested beer, wouldn’t touch a Pepsi, and only believed in

running if she was being chased. She loved to travel and the water–whether it was the pool, the lake, or the ocean–but her idea of camping was a hotel with a black and white TV. She read every genre of book and as she got older, was rarely not listening to an audiobook. She loved to play cards of all kinds but she especially loved video poker, and “hitting a royal” was a family occasion.

Sue’s family, who she called her “chickens”, will remember first and foremost how fiercely she loved them. Nothing embodied that better than the Christmases she put on every winter, where she’d purchase each person special pajamas to sleep in on Christmas Eve and spend months gathering gifts and decorations for a Christmas Day extravaganza. Christmas was her pride and joy–she loved few things on earth as much as a gift well given, the surest sign in her eyes of a family well-loved. Those gifts and memories will remain with her family, as will Sue’s sense of humor and the love for each other and the wonderful things in the world that she shared with them all.

Sue is survived by her children, Andy and Amy, her daughter in law Kim, and grandchildren and great grandchildren Kyle (Liz), Victoria, Kennedy, Chloe, Boo, Truman, Brian, Chase, and brother, Bill Shumate. Sue was also preceded in death by her parents, husband Hank, and daughter, Becca Booth.

Per her wishes, there will be no funeral services but a celebration of her life will take place on December 21, details to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Douglas County VNA or to a charity of the donor’s choice and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary. For more information or to post a condolence go to warrenmcelwain.com.