Emma 'Susie' Blount
Having lost her father and brother by the time she turned 15, Emma "Susie" Blount knew what she wanted to do with her life: raise a large and happy family.
"She wasn’t interested in going to college," her husband of 63 years, Richard Blount, said. "She wanted her career to be being a mother."
At 18, she met Richard Blount and married him within a year on Aug. 27, 1948. She went on to have four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Blount of Columbia died at her home Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, after having cancer for seven years. She was 82.
She was born on Aug. 1, 1929, in Stilwell, Okla., to Jack and Lela Bishop.
Her husband described her as a humble person completely devoted to her community and family.
"She should have been awarded a degree in motherhood with summa cum laude," Richard Blount said.
Mrs. Blount’s approach to parenting affected more than one generation, her son Mark Blount said.
"The way she raised us, my siblings and myself, has filtered out to our own kids," he said.
Mrs. Blount was also active at the Missouri United Methodist Church in Columbia, where served as a hostess for a fellowship group. She was also a hostess for Retired United Methodist Pastors and Spouses.
Carolyn Steinhauf, Mrs. Blount’s friend of 16 years, said Mrs. Blount enjoyed gardening and cooking.
"She enjoyed beautiful flowers and gardening. Her backyard was always beautiful," Steinhauf said. "And she was a wonderful cook. Everything she made was wonderful."
Mrs. Blount also loved to read, Steinhauf said.
"She'd go to the library and come back with six or eight books and get them all read before it was time to take them back," Steinhauf said.
Richard Blount said the community response to his wife's death reflected how people felt about her.
"We’ve been overwhelmed by the way people have responded to her illness these past few weeks," Richard Blount said. "She’d been very loved."
Richard Blount said his wife died accepting her situation.
"She accepted the fact that she would probably die of cancer," he said. "She accepted the fact that that was part of life."
Mrs. Blount is survived by her husband, Richard, of Columbia; two sons, Jack and his wife, Cindy, of Park City, Utah, and Mark of Columbia; a daughter, Susan Gemming and her husband, Craig, of Columbia; a daughter-in-law, Dr. Robin Blount of Columbia; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Her sister, son and granddaughter died earlier.
Visitation will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Missouri United Methodist Church, 204 S. Ninth St., followed by services at 2:30 p.m., which will be officiated by Reverend Amy Gearhart. After the service, Mrs. Blount will be buried at Callaway Memorial Gardens in Fulton.
Contributions may be made to Missouri United Methodist Church for the United Methodist International Orphanages c/o Maupin Funeral Home, 301 Douglas Blvd., Fulton, MO 65251.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.MaupinFuneralHome.com or to richard@blount.org.
