Susan Robert Obituary

HIGHLANDS - Susan Stubbs Robert, 78, passed away surrounded by loved ones Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. She was born August 31, 1947, to Frank Peter Stubbs and Dorothy Gorden Stubbs in Atlanta, Georgia.
Susan was a proud alumna of Emory University and the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. She started her career in contract law at Jones Bird & Howell law firm (later Alston & Bird) in Atlanta. But it was shortly after she married and had children that she began her true career as a professional abstract artist. She attended the Atlanta College of Art, now the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where she earned her BFA in 1994.
As an artist, her paintings have been displayed across the U.S. in private homes, offices, museums and universities. She was represented by numerous galleries over the years, most notably Sandler Hudson Gallery in Atlanta and Ann Connolly Fine Art in Baton Rouge. Her paintings are in the official collection of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, MOCA GA, SCAD Atlanta, and The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands. She truly loved being an abstract painter and especially enjoyed teaching her granddaughter how to paint over the last few years.
Later in life, Susan took to pen and paper researching the legacy of Lawrence Wood Robert, Jr., her husband's grandfather. In 2013, Susan acquired the historical and personal papers of Lawrence Wood Robert, Jr., best known as "Chippie." These papers, covering his fascinating political life, led to them being acquired by Emory University's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, as well as the publication of two books, The Man Who Loved Georgia Tech and Envoy: The untold story of the right-hand man of FDR and Truman.
Susan was deeply involved in various causes both in Atlanta, Georgia and Highlands. She was a member of the Board of Visitors at Emory University and the Oxford College Alumni Board, as well as a board member for the Atlanta College of Art. She spent nearly a decade serving as a guest artist lecturer at Emory. In Highlands, she was involved in the local food pantry and library, which she kept well stocked with food for the body and books for the soul. She also was an avid supporter of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival as well as Carpe Diem Farms.
Susan enjoyed the simple pleasures in life - reading and playing scrabble by the fires she built, tending to her beautiful gardens, going to the Emerald Crest or Isle of Palms with family and friends, picnicking and hiking with her daughters and spending time with the YaYa's - her best friends from high school. As a young woman, she was an avid tennis player and horseback rider from an early age.
The love of Susan's life was her husband, Chip. From day one they were devoted to one another. In 2006, they retired to North Carolina where they enjoyed walking the trail in the back of the house, sitting on the porch overlooking her gardens, hosting friends from far and near and of course, telling good stories. Susan encouraged everyone to "have a little fun everyday" and laugh often. Her joy-filled smile was infectious.
She is predeceased by her husband, Chip Robert and survived by her loving daughters, Birney Robert and Georgia Robert Parmelee; sister, Marianne Stubbs; Georgia's husband, Michael Parmelee; granddaughter, Alma Parmelee; Birney's fiancé, Alexis Turjman; and "Aunt" Birney Robert. She will be truly missed by all who knew her.
A funeral mass for Susan Stubbs Robert will be held Thursday, Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Basilica - 353 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30308.