Susan Hickman Paris of Brentwood, Tennessee

April 10, 1968 - November 15, 2023

Susan Hickman Paris passed away in Brentwood, Tennessee on November 15, 2023 at the age of 55 after a courageous battle with colon cancer.

Susan was the only child of Herschel Dowl Hickman and Joyce Depew Hickman.  She was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee where her father, Herschel, spent 28 years in manufacturing and defense management with the Atomic Energy Commission, the Energy Research and Development Administration, and the Department of Energy.

Upon graduating from Oak Ridge High School in 1986, Susan attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Economics in 1990.  While at UT, she was an active member of Delta Delta Delta.

Susan began her career with Procter & Gamble in 1990, working in various Account Management & Operations roles in Birmingham, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi; St. Louis, Missouri; and Nashville, Tennessee.  While at P&G, she met a fellow “proctoid” named Sam Paris.  After two years of long distance dating, Susan and Sam married in Oak Ridge in October 1993.  They recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

After living in different cities while employed by P&G, Susan and Sam settled in the Nashville area, first living in Franklin, then Brentwood.  They purchased the duplication, printing, and packaging business, We Make Tapes & Discs, in 2002, ensuring that Tennessee became their permanent home.

Susan became a mother in 1999 with the birth of their first daughter, Annie, followed by the birth of Lily in 2004.  Motherhood not only became Susan, but, in many ways, it was her calling.  Susan adored her girls.  She was supportive of their interests and loved to plan vacations to Disney World and the beach, as well as a special 13th birthday trip to New York for each girl.  She and Sam followed Annie on hundreds of rounds of competitive golf during Annie’s high school and college years, making friends with many of the families Annie played with and competed against.  Susan’s extraordinary caregiving skills were honed during Lily’s successful battle with osteosarcoma, where she and Sam modeled the most exceptional teamwork in managing hospital stays for Lily while also attending golf tournaments for Annie.  The devotion Susan, Sam, Annie, and Lily had for each other shone brightly during those tough days for their family.

Every holiday at the Paris home brought an explosive delight of seasonal decorations, making Susan the queen of celebrations.  Her home was a festive place each and every season of the year.  Susan and Sam had a fierce, yet friendly, rivalry between their SEC alma maters, Susan’s beloved Vols and Sam’s equally beloved Missouri Tigers, although Susan steadfastly maintained that Missouri does not belong in the SEC.  Yes, there were decorations for the Vols versus the Tigers, too.  Susan was a generous and creative gift giver, always finding ideas for Christmas and birthdays of items recipients would love.

Preceded in death by her parents, Susan is survived by her husband, Samuel Wells Paris; her daughters, Anne Dowl Paris and Lily Gates Paris, and Annie’s fiancé, Ronan Anthony Ferrentino; her sister- and brother-in-law, Ann Frances Paris Jury and Clifford Stephen Jury; her niece, Helen Frances Jury; her nephew, Andrew Wells Jury; her aunt, Sandy Hickman; several cousins and many friends.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 1st at 10 a.m. at The United Church, Chapel-on-the-Hill in Oak Ridge, TN with a reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, for those who may wish to make a memorial gift in Susan’s name, please consider The United Church, Chapel-on-the-Hill or Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’” – Proverbs 31: 28-29