Susan Law

Susan Law, 75, passed away Friday, July 30, 2021 at her home in Pharr in the presence of her friends and family.
Susan was born in Hollywood, California. The family moved to Mississippi, returning to California when she was 11. She attended Claremont High School and La Verne College in CA, studying in Germany for her Junior year of college. Susan's travels included Egypt, Mexico, Paris and road trips throughout the United States. Through DNA research it was discovered in 2017 that Susan has a number of biological relatives. The families connected instantly.
Susan's work and volunteerism in social justice advocacy spanned decades. She arrived in RGV as a Church of the Brethren volunteer in 1967 to work in the colonias with Ed Krueger after Hurricane Beulah. Susan's primary interest was in farm worker unionizing. In 1969 she began volunteering with Antonio and Raquel Orendain (UFW and later TFW). In 1972 she moved to Austin to work on the Ralph Yarborough election campaign. She returned to RGV in 1973 to work for the ACLU Foundation. She worked for TRLA from 1975 until her retirement in 2017. In the 1970s Susan was part of a group of women who created Hidalgo County's first domestic violence shelter, Women Together/Mujeres Unidas. She was a member of the board from 1976-1985, and president 1981-1985. Susan was a HOST tutor at Donna middle and junior high schools in the 1990s and a Board member for Hidalgo County Planned Parenthood, 1981-82. The Frontera Women's Fund established the Susan Law Fund for Women and Girls in 2005. Susan is a founding member of the Angry Tias and Abuelas of the RGV (2018), which received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2019. She is known to many colleagues and recipients of her help as a social justice warrior.
Although Susan had no children of her own, she was "Grandma Susan" to the Orendain Family. She is preceded in death by her life partner of over 30 years, Antonio Orendain; her parents, John and Ellen Law; her sister and brother-in-law, Doris Law Beery and Galen Beery; her brother-in-law Stan Kohls; step-son Juan Antonio Orendain Cortez.
Susan is survived by sisters Debbie Law Boelte (Craig Shay); Joncee Law Kohls; five step-children; Amada Rachel Orendain; Nina Melanie Orendain (Miguel) Baeza; Abel Anthony (Lillian) Orendain; Nancy Rose Orendain (Mahesh) Shrestha and Joseph Leonides (Carmen) Orendain; 19 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren; 4 nieces and nephews and 6 great-nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. with a 6:30 p.m. service Thursday, August 5, 2021, at Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, 311 E. Expressway 83, San Juan.
In lieu of flowers, please feel free to honor Susan's life work with a memorial contribution to https://www.angrytiasandabuelas.com/donate.
Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral Home in San Juan.