Susan Lucille (Kleven) Hayter was born on July 31, 1937, to Arthur Eugene Kleven and Gertrude Lyle (Hubert) Kleven, both of whom preceded her in death. Though vaccinated early on, Susan heartbreakingly died of complications due to Covid19 on October 6, 2021. She passed peacefully in her sleep and in the comfort of her home with her daughter, ReBecca Hayter, granddaughter, Amanda Barnes, great-granddaughter, Rachel Barnes-Hathaway, and grandson, Taylor Cooper, by her side. 

Susan grew up in Onalaska, Wisconsin, when it was still a very small city, and she lived there most of her life. The youngest of six children, Kathleen, Gertrude (Peg), James, Thomas, and Gerald, she was lovingly spoiled as the baby of the family and lived an ideal life. She was a member of the First Lutheran Church and so proud that she was the youngest Sunday School teacher, starting at just eleven years old. She graduated from Onalaska High School in 1955 and went on to move to Milwaukee with a friend for two years. Upon returning to Onalaska, she got a job at Gundersen Clinic, and then, on October 11, 1958, she married her childhood sweetheart, Royce John Hayter, who also preceded her in death. They had three children, whom they loved dearly, ReBecca Susan, Robert John, and James Allen. 

Susan was happy to be a housewife during the '60's and she visited her Mother every morning with her sister Peg, as they all lived just a few blocks from one another. Susan loved to bake, sew, and spend time with her children. She regularly met with "the girls from work," "the girls from school," and the church bible circle that she belonged to, and enjoyed visiting over coffee with her neighbors. She loved family get-togethers and all the holidays which were celebrated as big events on both sides of her family, and included huge feasts, sing-a-longs, outdoor games, and a lot of fun and laughter. In 1970, she decided she'd like to contribute to the income of her household and took the custodial job at her church, which still allowed her to be available any time for her family. She continued to teach Sunday school and eventually became their superintendent.  

In 1980, when the new Valley View Mall opened, she was pleased to get a job at Dayton's, where she was eventually named Employee of the Year around 1993. She continued to work there after it became Marshall Fields and later Macy's. She helped with everything from sales clerk to customer assistant to merchandising. She was incredibly proud of the fact that she helped unload semis until she was 75 years young. In 2009, she and her family opened a cake and party business, where she enjoyed helping host children's parties, baking cakes and other goodies, judging in-house pageants, taking pictures, attending events, and, best of all, mingling with the clientele who all loved her dearly. Susan retired in 2015 and decided to move to Florida to be near her daughter in 2017. 

She had many hobbies she enjoyed and was very talented at, like knitting afghans, mittens, and scarfs, and making crafts, especially for Christmas. She was a wonderful seamstress and sewed clothes for herself, her daughter, nieces, and granddaughters. A favorite pastime for her was embroidering squares and making quilts out of the squares she worked. She also made countless specialized quilts for her kids and grandkids. She was very involved with her grandchildren and their friends, many of whom remember her ice cream buckets filled with chocolate chip cookies. She liked the challenge of crossword puzzles and word finds, she liked to write short stories, and she enjoyed reading a variety of magazines. Throughout her life, she and her family enjoyed yearly vacations to various parts of the country, with Disney World being one of her favorite places on Earth. 

Susan is also survived by her sons and their families, Robert (Karen) and their children, Heather and Matthew, and James (Ronda), and their children and grandchildren, Jennifer (Nick), Abriana, Amber, Joshua, Haylee, and Nathan. She is also survived by her brother, Gerald and his wife, Joanne, her sisters-in-law Joanne Hayter, Pat Kleven, and Karen Kleven, grandchildren by choice, Michael Robinson, Summer Miller, AmyJo Kane, and Melissa Baca, and a number of adopted great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, and friends.  

Susan was a very special woman, who gave unconditional love and support to everyone she knew. She was accepting of everyone, open-minded, non-judgmental, and all were welcome in her home. Everyone was invited to her table, and many holidays included friends of her family who had no place else to go. If she heard of anyone in need, she was right there to see how she could help, and she often bagged up groceries from her cupboards to give to someone who needed them, including strangers. She was well loved by all who knew her and she made friends wherever she went. She is already terribly missed by many people and will be remembered in the hearts of all who knew her.