Susan Martin, 20-year Stanford employee, has died

Susan Martin, a faculty affairs associate in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences dean’s office who worked at Stanford for almost 20 years, died Feb. 29 after an illness. She was 70.

Martin was known for her exceptional quality of work, warm smile, and hearty laugh. Several colleagues mentioned how she welcomed them in a meaningful way when they started at Stanford.

Lisa D. Thomas, assistant dean of faculty affairs in H&S and Martin’s immediate supervisor, remembered her unshakable positivity.

“I remember Sue’s warm smile and inviting personality being a place of comfort for me as a new faculty affairs person in H&S three years ago,” Thomas said. “Sue was always genuine, kind, and thoughtful in all her interactions. I don’t think there was a single person who didn’t enjoy receiving one of Sue’s infamous email responses of ‘thanks for the thanks.’”

Gabriella Safran, senior associate dean for the humanities and arts, the Eva Chernov Lokey Professor of Jewish Studies, and professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures in H&S, lauded the empathy that made Martin so good at her job.

“Sue was a warm and humorous person and also so emotionally intelligent,” Safran said. “She had such a memory for details about people’s lives and situations and such creative ideas about how to help people understand our system and work with it to get what they needed.”

A 20-year career

Raised in New Jersey, Martin came to Stanford in August 2004 as an administrative associate in the Department of Sociology. Over the years, her administrative role expanded to include department matters and support for a growing number of faculty members.

Susan Weersing, now the associate dean of graduate and undergraduate studies in H&S, hired Martin into that first Stanford position nearly 20 years ago. She still remembers their phone interview.

“Within five minutes, I knew I was going to hire her,” Weersing said. “We spent the next 30 minutes talking about her love of Marin County, her passion for the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones, and how she could lose herself when playing the piano. Sue was quirky in the very best way.”

In 2013, Martin moved across Stanford’s Main Quad to the H&S dean’s office to take on a faculty affairs specialist role. Her role again expanded when she became staff associate to the senior associate dean for the humanities and arts. In this multifaceted role in Stanford’s largest school, Martin performed a variety of tasks, including processing leave requests and managing professoriate and emeriti faculty appointments.

Martin’s other role was that of a musician. A gifted pianist, she loved to play her baby grand piano and at times also taught lessons. Outside of work, Martin enjoyed frequenting Woodside Bakery in Menlo Park and listening to ’70s rock music with her cat, Romeo, as company.

“I will forever adore Sue and remember her spirit, remaining positive no matter the circumstance,” Thomas said. “Thank you, Sue, for teaching me how to appreciate even the little things in this life!”

Susan Martin is survived by her mother, MaryAnn Martin; her sister, Diana Weber; and her niece, Kimberly Clarke. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Homeless Cat Network.