Susan Brantley Milligan

Susan Brantley Milligan, 74 of Canyon, passed away on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Memorial services will be held at 4pm on Friday, June 14, 2024, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Amarillo.

Susan was born on July 20, 1949, in San Marcos, Texas, to Charlotte Rugel and Royal Lester Brantley, Jr. Her family moved to Canyon in 1953 when her father accepted a faculty position at
then West Texas State University. Susan graduated from Canyon High School and earned both a Bachelors in Music Education from WTSU (now WTAMU) and a Masters in Music Education from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

Susan married Terry Milligan in 1969. The couple had a son, Sean Michael, in 1974; and a daughter, Julie Kathleen, in 1980. Susan and Terry Milligan remained close lifelong friends even after their marriage ended in 1986.

Susan's career as a string teacher and orchestra director included positions in Odessa, Texas; Austin, Texas; Maryville, Missouri; and Cincinnati, Ohio. Her longest tenure was as an orchestra teacher for Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati. Outside of public schools, Susan co-directed the youth orchestra Cincinnati Junior Strings, which performed locally and toured on the continents of Asia, Europe, and Australia. In 1986 Susan was named Outstanding Music Educator of the State of Ohio.

Professional accolades and international tours were small thrills for Susan compared to the joy of teaching. Students whom Susan began teaching near ages ten or twelve more often than not stayed under her baton through high school. Susan treasured working with these students so they could experience the joy, camaraderie, and pride of making music.

In 1989 Susan received a diagnosis that transformed her life. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare but progressive lung disease, was poorly understood and untreatable at the time. Over the next fifteen years LAM drastically diminished Susan's lung capacity. Despite her fears and uncertainty, she continued to devote her intelligence, energy, talent, and love to her students and family.

Susan's life changed again in February of 2004. She received a new pair of lungs given by the surviving family of an anonymous organ donor. Susan recovered fully from the difficult surgery and thrived, symptom-free, for two decades. Her gratitude for this gift of life grew each year, and she ardently encouraged others to become organ donors and, crucially, to tell their families of their wish.

In 2006 Susan retired to Canyon, where she devoted herself to grandmotherhood and—yes—to music. She assisted local music educators in Amarillo schools and at WTAMU, played in the Amarillo Symphony, and joined the choir of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church of Amarillo. When she wasn't rehearsing, Susan soaked in as much as she could of her children's and grandchildren's company. She particularly reveled in sharing her favorite works of children's literature with them and in preparing their favorite dinners and desserts. Susan knew and loved her grandchildren's hearts, the promise of their futures, and their precious individual spirits.

To Susan's students, family, and friends, she was a soul like no other. She found happiness in giving others the joys of her talent, humor, and wisdom; yet she felt her own value and convictions deeply. To her son and daughter, Susan set the gold standard for kindness, self-worth, dignity, and compassion. She taught them that the world has endless joys to offer, and that our place here is a blessing that we can repay through giving our utmost to each person who comes into our lives.

Susan is preceded in death by her parents and a brother, John Stuart Brantley, MD.

Survivors include her son, Sean Milligan and wife Katie of Amarillo; her daughter, Julie Hughes and husband Andrew of Greensboro, NC; five grandchildren, Max, Jack, and Ben Milligan, and Louise and Eliot Hughes; sister Julie Petruccione and husband Nicholas of Canyon; and brother
Royal Rugel Brantley and wife Karen of Amarillo; sister-in-law Sally Brantley of Canyon; aunt
Kathleen Jones of Austin; ex-husband Terence Milligan and husband Jim Schumacher of Cincinnati; two generations of nieces, nephews and cousins; a host of friends and fans; and her beloved Angelo Santoro of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The family suggests memorials be to The LAM Foundation, 4520 Cooper Road, Suite 300, Cincinnati OH 45242; The Hunger Project, 110 W. 30th St, 6th Floor, New York NY 10001; or the WTAMU Foundation (note: Music Education Program), WT Box 60766, Canyon TX 79016.