Susan Elizabeth Wills

Susan Elizabeth Wills, J.D., LL.M., age 74, of New Braunfels, TX, passed away after a brief illness on November 20, 2022, surrounded by loved ones. She was predeceased by her parents, Joseph A. Reddy, Jr and Selma E. Reddy, as well as her beloved husband Frank Wills, and her youngest son, Brother Robert Wills, LC. Susan is survived by her daughter, Susan Wills Amat (Luis), Joseph Wills (Cassie), D’Arcy Wills, and Thomas Wild (Jess), as well as by her greatly cherished grandchildren, Frances, Dominic, Juniper, Clementine, Moses, Cyrus, Abraham, and Samuel. In addition, she is survived by her siblings, Richard Reddy, Robert Reddy, and Barbara (Reddy) Craig, MD. A funeral mass will be held at Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, 386 N. Castell Avenue in New Braunfels, TX on Monday, December 12, 2022, at 10 AM. A private interment will take place at a later date in Miami, Florida. Susan was born in Chicago, IL and raised in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. An extremely talented musician, she sang in multiple choral groups in high school, as well as being the first chair orchestra violist. In addition to the viola, she also played the violin, guitar, and piano. Her musical passion never ceased, joining Catholic church choirs everywhere she lived as an outstanding soprano and advisor on religious music. Languages were her forte, as she became fluent in five languages during her lifetime. After two years at the University of Connecticut, with an adventurous spirit, she spent her junior year of college abroad, living in Rouen, France. After returning, Susan joined her family in a move to Miami, FL where she graduated from the University of Miami the following year. Furthering her education, she earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law. After having the first three of her five children, Susan matriculated at the renowned Master’s in International Law program at Georgetown University School of Law in Washington, DC. Upon her graduation Susan was awarded the Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, SJ Prize for achieving the highest academic average and was the class valedictorian. Her children were a source of great joy and happiness. In her later years, Susan was overwhelmed with pride and love for her eight wonderful grandchildren. There was nothing she loved more than spending time with them and with other family members. Although Susan originally practiced law in Miami and then at an international law firm in Georgetown, she followed her heart and passion, transitioning to a position at the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). For most of her career, with superb writing skills, she was the prolific author of many hundreds of articles on legal issues to include bioethics, the right to life, and other topics. These were published in both religious and secular journals, periodicals, and newspapers. Further, Susan supervised the preparation of the annual Respect Life Program for Catholic bishops in the United States and developed training and outreach materials for the Church’s Project Rachel Ministry. In addition to her outstanding research and writing skills, she was also a highly sought-after public speaker at local and national conferences, as well as radio programs. For her devotion to her work, Susan received the “People of Life” award from the Council of Catholic Bishops. After retiring from the USCCB she continued writing and editing for the Lozier Institute and Aleteia. In lieu of flowers, donations in Susan’s memory can be made to, Sts. Peter and Paul Church in New Braunfels, TX Lozier Institute, Project Rachel in the Archdiocese of San Antonio