Susan Bleakney Baker

A memorial service celebrating Susan’s life will be held at 1:00 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2026, with The Rev. Jeff Logan officiating at Christ Church, 1008 Jefferson Avenue, Waco, Texas, where she will be buried with her maternal family in Oakwood Cemetery.

Susan was born in Harlingen, Texas, on April 14, 1944, to Dr. Philip Arnold Bleakney and Mary Virginia Lastinger Bleakney. The younger sister to Millicent Bleakney Mason and Philip Arnold Bleakney Jr., she loved sharing stories of growing up among the grapefruit orchards and resacas around their family home in “The Valley” that later became the site of the Rancho Viejo Country Club near Olmito, Texas. Their family enjoyed many summer vacations at their summer home on the banks of the Guadalupe River, where Susan loved attending Camp Mystic. She attended high school as a boarding student at St. Mary's Hall in San Antonio before returning home for her senior year and graduating from San Benito High School. In 1961, she was crowned Queen of the Port Isabel-Brownsville Shrimp Fiesta, an honor that reflected her grace, charm, and deep roots in the community.

Susan entered The University of Texas at Austin in 1962, where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. During the summer of 1963, she met the love of her life, Penny Baker. In 1964, they began a beautiful 62-year marriage.

After graduation, Penny’s work with GE took the young couple to Connecticut, where Susan worked as Assistant Personnel Director for Schick. Before long, however, she embraced the role that would bring her the greatest joy and fulfillment: raising a family. In 1965, Susan and Penny welcomed their first son Penny Jr. The family returned to Austin in 1968, and their daughter Susannah was born the following year. Their second son Blake completed the family in 1977. She poured herself into her children's lives, enthusiastically supporting their many activities, creating a beautiful home filled with love, and nurturing their faith at St. David's Episcopal Church.

Susan devoted countless hours to serving the Austin community. She volunteered with the United Way, Junior Helping Hand Home for Children, and the Junior League of Austin. In 1984, she chaired "A Christmas Affair," one of the Junior League's major fundraising events. She also co-chaired the Children's Miracle Network Telethon, helping raise funds for children's hospitals across the country, including the first Children's Hospital of Austin. Susan’s remarkable gift for creating beautiful spaces found expression in her work as a designer for two Austin Hospice Designer Showhouses. In 1983, she transformed the kitchen of the historic Austin Junior Forum’s Caswell House, and in 1984, she designed the gardener’s cutting room and porch at The Castle. Both projects supported Austin Hospice while showcasing the beauty of two of Austin’s treasured historic homes.

Additionally, Susan partnered with Penny in their family business, Import Building Products, which operated in Austin and San Antonio. In 1993, Susan and Penny moved to San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, to expand their ceramic tile business, where Susan’s fluency in Spanish proved invaluable. They quickly embraced their new community, making deep friendships, and coming to love their adopted home. Susan enjoyed serving over the years with Patronato Pro Niños and being a member of the San Miguel Garden Club.

Susan once wrote of her father that “he was an extrovert and was the type of person who put you at ease and made you feel like you’d known him for years.” Those who knew her would readily say the same about her. Her family cherished her gifts for hospitality and friendship, along with her clever sayings and witty sense of humor. Her grandchildren are especially grateful for the countless hours “Mimi” invested in their lives: cooking, dancing, playing games, and exploring beautiful Mexico together. They were deeply blessed by her love and wise encouragement. Her extraordinary example of faith, dignity, and enthusiasm for life was an inspiration to many.

She is survived by her husband Penny Lamoine Baker, son Penny Lamoine Baker Jr., daughter Susannah Baker Schorlemer and husband David Schorlemer, son William Bleakney Baker and wife Krystin Baker; her grandchildren Mary Morgan Baker Dowell and husband Patrick Dowell, Penny Lamoine Baker III, Annabelle Baker, Susan Bleakney Schorlemer Butler and husband Nathan Butler, Mary Frances Schorlemer Lott and husband Peyton Lott, Louisa Scott Schorlemer Ross and husband Grayson Ross, William Baker Schorlemer, Delainey Renee Baker, Coleman Bleakney Baker; and great-grandson Turner Patrick Dowell Jr. Her sister-in-law Linda Baker Lacy and husband Jim Lacy, sister-in-law Janice Baker, brother-in-law Bobby Baker and wife Cris Baker, sister-in-law Sandra Bleakney, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. Susan is preceded in death by her parents Dr. and Mrs. Philip Arnold Bleakney, her sister Millicent Bleakney Mason and brother-in-law Howard Mason Jr., and her brother Philip Arnold Bleakney Jr.

The family would like to thank Luisa Murillo Hernandez for her friendship, devotion, and tender care for so many years, as well as the Houston Bluebonnet Hospice care team, Toria Simmons, Selena Conchola, Sarah Carbajal, and Sara Beaugh.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist Hospital. NNAC, P.O. Box 4384, Houston, Texas 77210-4384, to support Alzheimer’s research.