Susan Kathleen Castillo

On Saturday, August 20, 2022, Susan Kathleen Castillo, mother, gifted pianist, and dog lover, passed away at the age of 62 after a courageous battle with Multiple Myeloma.  Although her journey with cancer was long and tough, she passed gracefully without pain.  Her children, their partners, and a longtime friend stayed by her side, offering words of love and comfort until the end.

Susan was born in Guin, AL June 28, 1960 to Mary Ruth Simmons and Cecil Taylor.  She was a 1978 graduate of Winfield City High School and later received a nursing degree from The University of Alabama.  She held nursing positions at various hospitals including UAB and Brookwood, where she worked compassionately with AIDS patients during the height of the epidemic, served as an oncology nurse working on research projects, and provided care on the geriatric psychiatric unit.

Susan’s first and most important role in life was being a mother.  She raised three children (Josh- 36, Leigh- 35, and Katie- 31) to be fiercely loyal, independent, and honest.  She also bestowed her love of music on her children, as they followed in her footsteps as instrumentalists, singers, and/or educators.  Susan also stepped into a new role as a grandmother in March 2020 (Henry) and again in February 2022 (Frances).  If being a mother was her favorite thing, being a grandmother was a very close second.  She extended her unconditional love for her children to their partners (Allison, Alyssa, and Tyler), and the strength of these relationships gave her comfort as she approached the end of her life.

Susan was an extremely gifted and passionate pianist.  She shared her musical gifts during high school, college, and adulthood by serving as accompanist in Winfield, Tuscaloosa, and Montevallo.  Not only did she provide appropriate accompaniment for the occasion, she began to compose layers underneath her accompaniment and found a passion for musical composition.  Anyone who performed with Susan can attest to her natural instinct as an accompanist but also her tenderness in molding musical lines to best support the performers.  Few musicians on this earth have the musical intuition and supportive care that Susan had.

Susan’s passion later in life shifted to being an animal lover and advocate.  She was a self-taught and quite talented dog groomer and worked as a manager for the Cahaba Beach Dog Park in Birmingham.  She was the proud dog mom to Sissi, Jezzie, Popeye, and Dexter, and the wonderful grandmother to Buster, Charlie, Lola, Ziggy, Zoe, Bonnie, Lucy, and Ethel.  Her compassionate heart was drawn to vulnerable dogs, and she often took in those who were sick or elderly.  Most often, you’d find her enjoying taking the pups on a walk, sneaking them table food, or getting precious kisses.  

Susan was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Ruth, and her father, Cecil.  She is survived by her three children, Josh (Allison), Leigh (Alyssa), and Katie (Tyler); her grandchildren Henry (Josh) and Frances (Josh); her sister Charlotte (Dwight) and her brother Allen (Janice); her nieces Amy (Wayne) and Julie and her nephew Dillon; her long time friend Pam; and countless relatives and close friends.

Susan loved, she accepted, she welcomed anyone and everyone with open arms.  She lived life without prejudice or judgment and was the definition of unconditional love.  Susan was an advocate for the underrepresented and marginalized.  Simply put, she was an ally and a friend.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, September 11, 2022 at the First United Methodist Church of Montevallo at 861 Middle St, Montevallo, AL 35115 at 4:00pm.  In lieu of flowers, Susan requested donations be directed to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (https://themmrf.org) in hopes of supporting all MM warriors, caregivers, and researchers as they navigate this disease and seek new tools to aid in the courageous fight.