Beverly Sue (Brunson) Tapp

Beverly “Sue” Tapp of Huntersville passed away on Saturday, March 18^th. She was 81 years old. She passed peacefully in her home surrounded by her loved ones. Sue was the only child of William Durward Brunson and Martha Irene Brunson. She was a true Native Floridian, born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida. She attended Palm Beach High School and graduated second in her class. Sue remained close to her classmates and was involved in planning many of their class reunions. She went on to attend Florida State University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and spoke very fondly of her time at Florida State. Sue told many stories about her years in college. She had stories about having a curfew, pressing her huge crinoline skirts in the attic, being required to put on a raincoat to walk to the student union because women were not allowed to wear shorts or pants on campus, and being asked by classmates to “stop studying because she was throwing off the curve.” She continued her education and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Education from Florida Atlantic University.

Sue began her teaching career in Orlando, Florida. She taught 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, and 5^th, but the majority of her years were spent in kindergarten. She touched many young lives throughout her 37 year career. She worked in an inner city school environment for the last 24 years of her career. She couldn’t walk through the mall without one of her former students recognizing her and thanking her for being wonderful. On top of teaching, she was always in charge of the school performances. She would play the piano for the musical part and used her unusual talent for “rhyming” to create the dialog. One year, she wrote the new school song for Washington Elementary and had the song recorded into the Library of Congress.

Sue was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, Florida. She was a strong, devoted Christian woman, and she made sure her daughters and grandchildren are too. She could often be found playing the piano for her Sunday school class and even during a service.

Sue was an avid sports fan. She attended many sporting events with her father as a child, and was even able to attend the 1948 World Series. She spent weekends watching football with her son-in-law. She also attended all Florida State Seminoles home football games for 12 years. Her daughter, son-in-law, and all 5 grandchildren attended with her for 10 of those years. Sue was a devoted and adamant Seminole fan and never wavered from her loyalty to her team. . She committed the ultimate sacrifice by getting a date with a Gator in order to attend the very first Seminole/Gator football game held in Gainesville.

Sue is survived by her two daughters, Melanie Sue Stankiewicz, and Beverly Ann Griffis. She also leaves behind her son-in-law, Steven Michael Stankiewicz, and her grandchildren, Kaitlyn Sumner Poole and her husband, Daniel Dale Poole Jr., Alyssa Marie Griffis, Jordan Ann Griffis, Tyler Michael Stankiewicz, and Sarah Sue Stankiewicz. Sue was completely dedicated to her family and did everything in her power to ensure they were always loved and well-cared for, even if this meant sacrificing something for herself. She had a fabulous sense of humor and could always make other people feel comfortable. She was always saying that she had “a face that inspired people to tell her their life stories.” Her stories from the past, her sweet and gentle nature, and her keen intelligence will be missed by all who knew her.

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