Susan Wiener Latimore

Susan Latimore, of Atlanta, died on July 9 following a stroke. She was 86.

Susan, along with her twin sister Diane, was born to Frances and Walter Wiener on June 18,1936 at New York Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She was raised in Pelham, NY, graduating from Pelham Memorial High School in 1954. Her studies at Swarthmore College included a junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh, and after graduating in 1958, she joined the New York publishing house Macmillan Company as an associate editor in their trade book department.

While in New York, Susan met Daniel Webster “Buck” Latimore, Jr. They married in March 1962 and moved overseas when Buck went to work with the international relief organization C.A.R.E. Sons Dan and Tim were born in Saigon and Istanbul, giving Susan rich lessons in the joys and challenges of raising babies abroad. The young family then returned to the States, where Buck earned his law degree at Harvard.

In 1968, Susan and Buck moved to Atlanta, where daughter Lindsay was born. They lived in Brookhaven for 22 years, and during that chapter set down roots for their kids while raising them to be curious and to appreciate art, literature, music, film, theater, and the wide world. Susan marched for civil rights and in protest of the Vietnam War. She played tennis avidly, cooked incredible meals, hosted generously at the large dining room table and on the screened front porch, and vanquished the Georgia red clay to build a vegetable garden. Her design sense and appreciation for beauty created a home full of gorgeous sights and experiences – beautiful fabrics, unusual objects, and unlikely patterns that always worked together. She habitually tackled the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle, usually in pen. The radio was always on and set to 90.1 for classical, NPR news, and Prairie Home Companion. In the ‘80s, she went to work at the Atlanta Apparel Mart as a showroom manager, frequently taking advantage of her half-off-wholesale discount to acquire sample-sized designer pieces that she wore with elan.

For their next chapter, as grandparents, Susan and Buck settled on Collier Road. Susan built new gardens, worked at local plant nurseries, started a container gardening business called Pretty Good Pots, volunteered for the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and cultivated cherished friendships. Every year she purchased a plastic puddle pool so that her six beloved grandkids would have a place to splash while the adults visited. “Come and sit on the deck with me,” she’d say, pouring a glass of good white and lighting a cigarette.

Susan adored rescue dogs, lunch with friends, travel, and the ocean. She loved learning people’s stories and became fast friends with anyone she met twice. She had a razor-sharp wit, deep curiosity, impeccable style, and a full-bodied laugh, and she was never afraid to ask questions or share her opinion with singular candor. We will miss her terribly.

Susan was preceded in death by her husband Buck. She is survived by her children Dan Latimore (Rebecca), Tim Latimore (Chieko), and Lindsay Masters (Scott); grandchildren Kate, Madeline, Harper, Jack, Claire, and Ryan; sisters Diane Seessel (Tom) and Janet Trinkaus; many nieces, nephews, and dear friends; and her beloved spaniel, Ashe.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Friday, October 28 at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta, followed by a reception in the parish hall.