Mary Susan Claeys

“There are stars whose light reaches the earth only after they themselves have disintegrated. And there are individuals whose memory lights the world after they have passed from it. These lights shine in the darkest night and illumine the path for us.”
Mary Susan Claeys of Norman, Oklahoma passed from this world on October 13, 2010. She died peacefully and pain free at her home surrounded by family and friends. Susan was born on December 21, 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Dr. Robert G. and Wanda Claeys. She held a Masters of Music degree in Music Therapy from the University of Kansas and was a nationally Board Certified practitioner. She was a leader in the field of music therapy and was published in books and scholarly journals on topics of Hospice, as well as Traumatic Brain Injury — the latter being one of her proudest accomplishments in a very productive and successful career. She worked as a practitioner at Topeka State Hospital, was the Vice President responsible for setting up and monitoring instruction and quality control for the music therapy interventional process at Rebound, Inc., a company that treated deep coma traumatic brain injuries. She was a professor and Head of the Music Therapy Program at Tennessee Technological University, was the Interim Head of the program at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and her last and most satisfying position was as the music and art teacher at the Dimensions Academy, Norman Public Schools. Susan married Marvin Lamb on January 1, 1986 and adopted his three daughters, welcoming a fourth daughter in July of 1988. She is survived by her husband Marvin; her four daughters, Laurie, Allison, Jessica, and Virginia; her mother, Wanda Claeys; sons-in-law, Paul Philpot and Patrick Tansor; two grandchildren, Cooper Philpot and Maggie Tansor; her sister-in-law, Marcile Faulkner; her nieces, Robin Smith and Ginger Dowell, and her cousin, Sharon Williams. She leaves behind a host of dear friends, and is mourned especially by the owners of Louis Vuitton stores worldwide. Susan was kind, smart, fiercely loyal, very tough, and endlessly entertaining, she never gave up on the dispossessed of the world and as a result the world became a better place. She is deeply missed by all. The family wishes to thank all who cared for her during her final struggles, especially the superb team of physicians at the OU Cancer Research Center; Joan Walker, M.D.; Heartland Hospice; her friends Pam Brunetti, Marcy Stahm, Marilyn Dewey, Tara Koetter; her Bible Study Group, and last but not least, Derrick Mask, who ministered to her at the end. We are grateful to them beyond words.
A memorial service is scheduled for Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 4:30 PM at McFarlin Memorial Methodist Church, Norman, OK under the direction of Primrose Funeral Service. Memorials can be made to Dimensions Academy, 1101 East Main, Norman, OK 73701, and Hope in Oklahoma, PO Box 94614, Oklahoma City, OK 73143-4164, or McFarlin Methodist Church Music Program.