Huntingdon community remembers couple for service
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HUNTINGDON -- The Huntingdon community is mourning the loss of two of its devoted supporters. Allen "Keith," 75, and Susan "Susie" Black, 76, were killed last week when their vehicle struck a disabled tractor trailer.
The couple, married for 51 years, were well-known by the community for volunteering with a number of organizations, together and individually, including Huntingdon County United Way, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital, Penn Highlands Hospital, CareerLink, Huntingdon County Sports Hall of Fame, Meals On Wheels, Huntingdon County Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs and several others.
Members of those organizations expressed nothing but fond memories and words about the couple, mentioning that all they wanted to do was serve the community by lending a hand wherever they could.
For several years, Keith and Susie volunteered their time at Meals on Wheels, cooking and delivering food to those in need. Every Friday, Susie would cook in the kitchen while Keith delivered the meals every Thursday.
Diane Hefner, volunteer coordinator for Meals On Wheels, said that Susie was a delight to work with and was a devoted mother, wife and volunteer.
As she got to know the couple, Hefner said that she quickly learned the two were very dependable and had a beautiful spirit. When she found out about the couple's passing, she said she felt heartsick and that the organization will miss them.
"They were always offering to help and always wanted to help someone," Hefner said. "They always went the extra mile and it was never about Keith and Susie. I just can't say enough about them."
Keith and Susie were retired from their jobs and dedicated a majority of their days to playing a vital role in making the community a better place. However, the decades spent at their day jobs made a lasting impact on those they interacted with.
For 36 years, Susie was a first grade teacher at Juniata Valley Elementary School, teaching hundreds of students and being someone others could lean on.
During her fourth year of teaching first grade at Juniata Valley, Christy Chamberlain said Susie was always there for her as she navigated being a young teacher. The two taught their classes with the door between their classrooms open so Susie could assist Chamberlain when she needed it.
Now a special education teacher, Chamberlain shared that Susie was a compassionate and beloved teacher. Her students loved being in her classroom and always had a lot of fun learning with her.
Getting to work with Susie for a few years, Chamberlain said that Susie was constantly involved and engaging with her students. She said she learned about being a compassionate person from her and how to best help her students.
"One of the things I will always remember about Susie was every time a student would throw up in my room, I would scream and she would come running and clean it up," Chamberlain said.
Over the years, the couple had planned and attended several events as executive board members to many of the organizations they belonged to. Through these events, Keith and Susie met new people in the community and found ways to get involved.
In his career, Keith was a probation officer, court administrator and staff member for former state Reps. Larry Sather and Mike Fleck and current Rep. Rich Irvin.
When Irvin was elected representative, he asked Keith to be on his staff because he felt that he was a very fair and hard-working person. Before retiring, Keith worked with Irvin for two years, making an impact on Irvin.
While Irvin got to know Keith through work, he had known Susie for years because she was his first grade teacher. He said she was a respected teacher and a concerned and caring person.
"They were very family oriented but also considered their community a family too," Irvin said.
For several years, Keith was also an assistant men's basketball coach at Juniata College and was president of the Huntingdon County Sports Hall of Fame. Through these roles, he guided student athletes to be the best versions of themselves and actively attended and participated in sporting events.
Not too long before they passed, the couple volunteered at Huntingdon County United Way and agreed to become the organization's champions for the year, attending events, presentations and gathering support from the community.
"We were really excited about having them because they were the perfect couple and just good human beings," said Rachelle Hopsicker, executive director of Huntingdon United Way.
In previous years, Hopsicker coached basketball at Juniata College at the same time as Keith. She got to know the couple very well as they were always there during big moments in her life, supporting her as she took on new endeavors.
"They were always in my corner. They were in a piece of everything in the community. Keith and Susie were my champions long before they became the United Way's champions," Hopsicker said.
The day the couple passed away, Susie stopped by to see Hopsicker to plan out events for the year. Hopsicker held onto a written note of Susie's that details their plans and said that they were going to do so much together.
Heartbroken and emotional about the accident, Hopsicker said the world became a bit darker when Keith and Susie passed, but it's important to carry on their legacy.
"I think it's our job to honor them by becoming light for others, and if every person who loved them carry on just a little bit of what they brought in kindness and generosity, I can't imagine how bright the world could be," Hopsicker said.
The Blacks will be remembered during a visitation and funeral Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Huntingdon Area High School, 2400 Cassady Ave., Huntingdon. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. service in the auditorium, with the Rev. David Dearing officiating. A private committal will be held at Riverview Cemetery in Huntingdon.
Mirror Staff Writer Jayla Nartatez is at 814-946-7535.