10 News spoke with former Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea about Susan Williams and the legacy she leaves behind.
Williams was known as a life long public servant, dedicating her time to help underserved communities.
Williams was brutally killed Wednesday, Feb. 19 in the hallway of her South Roanoke Condo. She was found with severe injuries and pronounced dead at the scene by Roanoke police.
“I was so shocked and saddened to hear about what happened to Susan,” Lea said. “I don’t know anyone who would want to hurt Susan.”
Sherman Lea spent 20 years serving Roanoke in public office and frequently worked with Williams as she advocated for the aging population through her role at LOA.
“She dedicated her life to serving others,” Lea said.
She began her journey as CEO of the Local Office on Aging in 1988.
Current president Ron Boyd shares that she was relentless in her advocacy for underserved communities.
“When I think of Susan and remember her, I think for about two decades she had a mobile sign that hung in her office, with just one word on each side. On the one side it said ‘challenge,’ and on the other side it was ‘opportunity.’ And I think that really spoke to her. I think of her passion,” Boyd said.
She headed up some of the agency’s biggest outreach opportunities, like Meals on Wheels.
Lea reflected on a moment in 2016, his first year as Roanoke’s Mayor, where they celebrated Susans 28 years of service to LOA.
“She was never the type to seek recognition, but she is exactly the person you wanted to recognize,” Lea said.
“My condolences to her family. I hope they know she lived her life to the very end in the service of others. She did it right”