Susan Kiel Obituary

KIEL (Downey), Susan

Elizabeth

Susan Kiel passed away on September 25, 2025. She was born on September 23, 1942 to Nellie Mae Bach and Melvin Reed Downey in Bowling Green, KY.

After a childhood with frequent moves due to her father's army service and later career with RJ Reynolds, Susan followed her family roots and attended the University of Kentucky in 1960. Almost immediately, she met the man who would be her partner in life, Paul Kiel. By graduation, Susan was married and a mother.

In the spirit of partnership that would characterize their marriage, Susan worked to support the family while Paul attended UK Law. Her choice of profession was natural. Driven by an urge to make a difference in others' lives and by the example of the women she most admired, her mother and Aunt Carmie, she chose teaching.

Susan began as a teacher, but the bulk of her 40-year career in elementary school education was spent as a counselor, many of them, after her family's 1978 move to Atlanta, in Gwinnett County schools (among them Beaver Ridge, Simpson, and Benefield). Along the way, she continued to study, working to receive Master's degrees in teaching as well as counseling. She ended her career as an assistant principal after receiving a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership. Warm, friendly, and conscientious, Susan loved children and valued the opportunity to support her students.

Family was of primary importance to Susan. She treasured her early memories of time with relatives and worked to maintain those ties and create similar bonds and memories for the next generation. She took a similarly active approach with her other communities, especially her friendships from her UK days.

Susan is survived by her daughters, Martha Kiel, Nancy Kiel; her son, Paul Kiel; daughter-in-law, Janet Lee; and grandson, Paul Sebastian Kiel, who all loved her dearly.