Susan Calvert

Susan Staff Calvert, 79, of Haleyville, passed away Monday, May 12, 2025 at her home. She was s retired elementary school teacher with Haleyville City Schools having taught for 20 years. She was a member of Our Lady of Guadeloupe Catholic Church and attended First Baptist Church.

Family will be receiving friends on Monday, May 19, 2025 from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Haleyville. Her celebration of life service will be at 1:30 p.m. at the church, with John Fredrick Calvert, Jr. speaking and Dr. Nathan Carroll officiating.  Pinkard Funeral Home is assisting the family.

She is survived by her children, John Fredrick Calvert, Jr. and Buffy Calvert York and her husband Timothy; brothers, William "Bill" Theodore Staff, James "Jim" Richard Staff and Theodore "Chipper" Yearwood Staff; sister, Catherine Staff Tims; grandchildren, John Fredrick Calvert, III, Anne Romberg York, Virginia Raines York, Judson King Stewart and Alice Mclean Stewart and a host of extended family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edmund Adam Staff and Nell Yearwood Staff; brother, Edmund "Ed" Adam Staff, Jr. and husband, John F. Calvert.

Susan grew up in Atmore, the fourth child of six, and the first daughter. She often
admitted, with a smile, that she was a bit spoiled — and her siblings would probably agree.
Summers were spent in Fort Walton Beach on the sound, surrounded by her siblings and
cousins. Those long, sun-soaked days helped shape the strong family bonds that remain close to this day.

In high school, Susan was a cheerleader, full of energy and spirit, and surrounded by close
friends. Among them was a group of girls who called themselves the “Heart Girls” — a name
Susan came up with. The others naturally saw her as their leader, the one who brought them
together and helped keep the group close. Her friends often called her friendly, sweet, and
optimistic — their lodestar in both good times and challenges.

That bond only grew stronger with time. For the past 20 years, the Heart Girls have made a
tradition of traveling to Fort Walton Beach together twice a year. These trips became treasured touchstones — filled with laughter, stories, and the comfort of old friendship. Some of their favorite moments were spent on the dock of Susan’s childhood cottage on the sound, talking for hours and soaking in the peacefulness of the place where so many of their memories lived. To this day, each of the Heart Girls considers Susan their best friend. She was the heart of the group — warm, loyal, and full of fun — the kind of friend who made others feel known and loved.

After high school, Susan went on to the University of Alabama, where she joined Kappa Kappa
Gamma sorority and made more lifelong friends. It was there that she met Johnny Calvert, a
standout guard on the football team. They married and eventually settled in Haleyville, where Johnny built a successful career in the mobile home industry.

Haleyville became home in every sense of the word. Susan and Johnny raised their children in
Briarwood Estates, a close-knit neighborhood where the moms gathered every afternoon and
the kids played outside until well after dark. These gatherings were filled with laughter and
friendship — and Susan, never the loudest person in the room, sometimes brought extra joy by picking up the end of the percolator cord and singing into it like a microphone, making
everyone smile and reminding them not to take life too seriously.

She had a wonderful group of friends — young moms who loved taking girls’ trips to Nashville
when their children were little, and later, beach trips as their lives evolved. Susan and Johnny
also had a close circle of couple friends they loved spending time with at Smith Lake and along
the coast.

Susan created a home full of warmth, imagination, and welcome. She encouraged backyard
campouts, and at one point became fascinated with the stars — leading neighborhood kids into the pasture to spot Orion’s Belt or the Big Dipper. She also enjoyed sewing, and one season made matching jumpsuits for all the little girls in the neighborhood — each one stitched from the same pattern in different colors of gingham, trimmed with rickrack.

She dedicated over 20 years to teaching at Haleyville Elementary, shaping young minds in first grade and kindergarten with patience, kindness, and a true love for children.

As much as she loved being a teacher, Susan’s favorite role may have been becoming “Rah Rah” to her grandchildren. She delighted in being with them — watching them grow, celebrating milestones, and especially piling up together in bed to watch TV, making the simplest moments feel special. She and Johnny took great joy in seeing their children grow up, get married, and start families of their own. Time with their grandchildren was a gift they never took for granted. Susan lived a life full of deep connections, quiet strength, generosity, and joy — and the people lucky enough to know her will carry that spirit forward.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to Big Oak Ranch.