SUSAN HELEN CEDAR
1937-2017
Longtime owner of Children’s Hour Montessori dies at 79.
Susan Helen Cedar died on May 27, 2017, surrounded by her family. Although a longtime resident of Houston, Susan spent her last two years in Davis, CA with her daughter and son-in-law while battling cancer.
Susan was born on September 14, 1937 in Tyler, TX to Dorothy Duffey Schempf and Foster John Schempf. Her father, a geologist in the oil industry, moved the family many times between Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Houston. Susan attended St. Anne’s Catholic School in Houston, and Monte Cassino Catholic in Tulsa. An avid horseback rider, she rode five gaited saddlebred horses, and took home top honors at the national level including Pin Oaks.
Strikingly beautiful, she began a career in modeling that would last for many years. She appeared on T.V. and in magazines including Life Magazine. But in her early thirties she found the career that would become her life’s passion. When women entered the workforce in the seventies, she decided to provide a loving and homey environment for the children of working parents in Houston. She opened Children’s Hour Montessori on June 15, 1974 and owned and operated the school until her cancer diagnosis in 2015. A compassionate person, she started a free program for children of sick parents from out of town seeking care in the medical center. Fortunately, the school is under new ownership and her legacy of providing a loving and enriching school will live on.
She is preceded in death by her parents, and her beloved brother, Jay Schempf. Survivors include her brother, Duff Schempf; her son Christopher (Leslie); her daughters, Laurie (Charlie), Lisa (Charlie), and Sheree (Bobby); ten grandchildren; two great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; countless dear friends, and her wonderful teachers and students over the last forty-five years.
The memorial service is scheduled for June 24, 2017, 3:00p.m. at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer Road, Houston. In lieu of flowers, a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital would be appreciated.