Shirley Susan (Worth) Fiala

Shirley Susan Worth Fiala, age 78, of Forest Hill, Maryland passed away on May 11, 2023 at her home in Forest Hill, Maryland. Born in Washington, DC, she was the daughter of John Taliaferro and Shirley Mae (Atkinson) Worth. 
 
Susan attended Towson High School before attending Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.  While in high school, she took care of her family by providing meals and support for her two brothers, as well as for her father and mother who were both unwell. She graduated from Hood College in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics.  While attending college she met John Paul Fiala, who she knew she would marry.  They married in Baltimore in 1967.
  
When there were no teaching jobs available after graduation she went to work at IBM, and would end up working with computers her entire life. She spent a large portion of her career at Alex. Brown & Sons, an investment company with strong ties to the Baltimore area.  She worked her way up to Vice President in 1996 spearheading new initiatives and campaigns, including addressing the Y2K programming issue before the turn of the century, and training new offices on the computer systems the company used.  Susan could have been the model for the “Super Woman” stories of the 1980s-90s.  In addition to her full-time career, she took her kids to and from school and ran her loving home.  An active member of Fallston Presbyterian Church, she ran the preschool when her children were young and worked as the Church’s treasurer after she retired. She also scheduled food deliveries for several Meals-on-Wheels routes during her retirement. 

Susan loved to travel on business trips with her husband or with friends and explored Taiwan, Hawaii, England, Europe and Russia.  She was an avid reader, often reading bags of books on her beloved trips to Ocean City. As an accomplished needle worker, she won ribbon after ribbon in the Harford Farm Fair – not to mention teaching herself crocheting, knitting, and other textile arts. She was also a super fan of Baltimore sports teams, having attended the first Orioles opening day game with her father. 

Most importantly as a loving friend and mother figure, she collected a large family of children and grandchildren not related by blood.  
       
Susan is survived by her husband, John Paul Fiala, her sons, John Charles Fiala, James Garafolo and William Paul Fiala, her daughters-in-law Jill Noel, and Heather Torres and her beloved grandchildren Rose, William and Daisy.  She is predeceased by daughter in law Tammatha Marie Koonce Fiala.  She is also survived by her brother, John Lucien Worth, his wife Veronica and son John Karl and her other brother Charles Taliaferro Worth, his wife Francis Sweetman and their daughter Alison Mae.   
 
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland in her name at 515 South Haven Street, Baltimore, MD 21224.

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