Susan L. Hanna

Susan L. Hanna, 75, of Cleveland, died June 25, 2022 at Judson Park. She was born August 11, 1946 in East Lansing, Michigan. Susan touched the lives of many. Her spheres of influence included involvement in art, music, public service, animal care/rescue and education. Susan was an artist and collector. She graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in Art and earned an M.A. in Art from Kent State University. She was locally known for her whimsical fantasy ceramic creations, produced in her Kirtland home studio. She and her late husband, Marvin Feldstein, provided a portion of their property and an outdoor kiln to the Cleveland Institute of Art for use in its wood-fired ceramics program. Their home was filled with artwork gathered from local artists as well as pieces acquired on trips abroad, including China, Greece, Israel, and Italy. Susan was an accomplished vocalist and pianist and would entertain small gatherings at her home, especially at the Feldstein-Hanna annual, legendary Christmas party, which filled all ten rooms of their “log cabin” with holiday revelers. She was a patron of The Cleveland Orchestra and maintained a Thursday concert subscription for over thirty years. Susan sat on the Board of the Kirtland Public Library as well as The Cleveland Kidney Foundation and was an active supporter of several animal rescue shelters in Geauga and Cuyahoga Counties. Her home was no stranger to critters: several German Shepherd Dogs, a Jack Russell Terrier, a Catahoula Leopard Dog, several cats and peacocks and peahens found their way into her home and heart. Susan taught art at Collinwood High School for several years. Her curriculum included a course in Sign Painting, which encouraged students who may have doubted they had artistic talent to give art a try. When Cleveland Public Schools implemented the Federal Court order to desegregate, Susan, a staunch believer in equal and civil rights, served on one of several integration intervention teams, visiting schools during the first months of student realignment, helping to pave the way for mutual understanding and cooperation. She concluded her career as an expulsion hearing officer, working with students and their parents to prepare for a successful school re-integration. She is survived by her siblings, Nancy, Samathy and Martin Hanna; niece, Hanna Soltow; and her nephew, Andy Soltow. A gathering to celebrate Susan’s life will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at the Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH 44060. Please offer condolences at www.brunners.com.

Susan L. Hanna

August 11, 1946 - June 25, 2022