Susanna Lunsford (nee Pfersdorff) was born on August 30, 1943 in Springfield, Illinois. Soon after, the family moved to Caracas, Venezuela, where she spent her formative years. She attended colleges in Mississippi and San Francisco, and furthered her passion for languages at the Sorbonne (France), the Colegio Internacional de México, and Nigeria, Africa, where her husband (Phillips Stevens) was doing field work for the Peace Corps. She and Phil planted roots in Buffalo, New York, in 1971. Having received her master's in teaching, Susanna dedicated the next thirty + years teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) in the Buffalo and Amherst Public School Systems. She was a pioneer in the field, and a strong advocate for countless families who needed transition assistance. In 1988, Susanna received a Fulbright Scholarship to train Teachers of English in English Methodology in Lecce, Italy, where she and her daughter (Rebecca Stevens) spent six months. 

In retirement, Susanna was an active member at the Trinity Episcopal Church and the Red Tent Sisterhood.  In 2007, she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to provide assistance for her mother, and she became actively involved with the Center for Action and Contemplation. 

Shortly after she moved back to Buffalo, Susanna was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She was moved to a facility near Towson, Maryland, where her daughter became her overseer. Susanna passed from complications from the flu on March 31, 2025. She is survived by sister, Jane Puryear; son, Jeremy Stevens and daughter, Rebecca (Stevens) Pollard); and grandchildren: Andrew, Samuel, and Jack Stevens and Elizabeth Pollard. 

The family will hold a private ceremony in lieu of a service. They request tributes be made to the Alzheimer's Association in Susanna's name. www.alz.org