Susan Dawn (Childress) Worrell crossed the river at age 58 on Sunday, September 27th. She was exactly where she wanted to be, at home with the people she loved best.

Susan graduated from Carroll County High School in 1986. From there, she studied at James Madison University and went on to receive her master’s degree in Physical Therapy at The Medical College of Virginia. After a period of time spent flirting in lifeguard class and leaving Hot Ball candy on each other’s windshields, she and Mike were engaged on Buffalo Mountain. They married on a hot June day in a church with no AC. For many years, she ran her own physical therapy businesses in Carroll and Grayson County. She helped countless folks in their recoveries, and was known to rehab the occasional injured chicken or cat. But to Susan, her best and most cherished work was as a mother.

Susan had eleven children. She loved them with “an everlasting love”, and showed this through massive batches of chicken enchiladas, her dedication to homeschooling, turkey pot pie and homemade gifts. Every birthday, she was up before dawn, decorating the kitchen with balloons and streamers in the birthday girl or boy’s favorite colors. And most nights ended with her reading aloud to the family: Little Women, The Bark of the Bog Owl, The Chronicles of Narnia, and dozens of other books. One memorable evening, she stayed up all night to read Holes to the family in one sitting, because she couldn’t bear to put it down. In her final months, her children were privileged to change roles, and read to her.

Susan enjoyed farming, gardening, building projects, and anything that let her be in the sunshine. She welcomed many animals onto the homestead: turkeys, chickens, ducks, cows, goats, and dogs. She also embroidered beautifully, and her children are left with many precious keepsakes.

Susan’s faith was deep and rich. She spent hours poring over her Bible and filling prayer journals. She was always seeking to learn more and share what she learned with her family. After a lifetime of asking questions and searching for answers, she has found them.

Susan leaves behind her husband, Mike. They spent thirty-three years married, and renewed their vows of “in sickness and in health” in an intimate ceremony this summer. She will be lovingly remembered by their eleven children: Preston [Veronica], Henry, Jesse, Jaynelle, Zoe, Lily, Adalee, Ezra, Andy, and Isabela Worrell and Alynda [Alec] Worrell-Welch. She had one grandchild, William Worrell. Her parents, Allan and Virginia Childress, also hold her memory close. She has two surviving siblings, Charles Childress and Martha Childress. And she spoke

often being reunited with “my baby brother”, Mark Childress, who precedes her in death.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Buffalo Mountain Presbyterian Church at 2:00 PM with Coach Lucas Austin officiating. Burial will follow in the Buffalo Mountain Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church on Friday from 1:00 until 2:00 PM prior to the funeral service. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Tri-Area Pregnancy Resource Center in Galax, Virginia. Vaughan-Guynn-McGrady Chapel is serving the family.