Dr. Susan H. May

Dr. Susan H. May, a life-long teacher and Shakespeare scholar, passed away peacefully at Lynchburg General Hospital on August 3, 2025, at the age of 90.  Susan was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on March 20, 1935, to parents Louis S. May and Frances H. May. After being raised in Lancaster, she graduated from Wellesley College in 1956 and then earned a Ph. D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. After brief teaching jobs in Minnesota and at Hood College in Fredericksburg, Maryland, Susan began her career as an English professor at Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia, in 1968. 

In 1984, Susan married Dr. Robert D. May, a mathematics professor at Longwood. After close to 30 years at Longwood, Susan retired from teaching but continued to serve Longwood University in numerous roles. Susan also continued work on her life-long project, a “variorum edition” of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She received awards and recognition for her teaching, scholarship, work on faculty governance, and other service to the University.

Susan is survived by Robert May, her loving husband of 41 years, and by her sister Helen Page, sister-in-law Barbara May, and numerous dear relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother John S. May.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Longwood University or to a charity of one’s choice.