Susan G. (Phillips) Emmerson

Of Dorchester, MA and formerly of Bloomington, IL passed away suddenly in her home on March 14th, 2023.

Born on September 9th, 1957, she was a loving wife to her late husband Dr. Michael Emmerson and survived by her two sons Gordon Emmerson (fiancée Dominique Whitney) and Samuel Emmerson.

Susan was born in Indianapolis, IN to Richard H. and Eleanor (Greer) Phillips. Her parents preceded her in death but she is survived by her sister Sara J. Phillips (Bill MacAdam), nephew, John MacAdam and niece Emily MacAdam. She was part of a large extended family and is survived by aunts Rosemary Ann (Greer) West and Phyllis (Greer) Frantz along with 13 first cousins and many many second cousins. She was preceded in death by aunts Luella (Greer) Elliott and Kathy (Greer) Hockelberg. She will also be missed by cats Walter and Henry along with Steve her pet snake.

Susan graduated Summa Cum Laude from Purdue University with a BS in biology and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to attain her MD from the Indiana University School of Medicine and was inducted into the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA). Following her residency at the IU Medical Center, she began her career as an ENT surgeon in Bloomington, IL.

After considerable success as a surgeon, she decided to retire early to follow her passion and become a full-time artist. In 2009 she received her BFA in Studio Art and Art History at Illinois State University, and in 2012 she obtained her MFA at the Art Institute of Boston. Susan’s passion for art came in many forms. She was a lifelong student and enjoyed furthering her education and working on many extraordinary projects in photography, painting, sculpting, and more recently fashion design. She was an important member of the Kingston Gallery and Foundation Street Gallery.

She was known for her kindness, generosity, sense of humor, and of course, her funky glasses. Susan was passionate about helping others achieve success in life and quietly worked to support a number of organizations in Boston and Bloomington she cared greatly for. She was also a mentor and role-model for emerging artists and will be so dearly missed by her friends and relatives. It means so much to her family that she touched so many lives.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Susan’s name to The Greater Boston Food Bank.