Suzanne E. Cranford died in an automobile accident in Marietta, Ga. on June 9 around midnight, according to a press release by Officer Wayne Delk of the Cobb County Department of Public Safety.
Cranford was one of four rear passengers in a 2005 Jeep Liberty that overturned several times on the Georgia highway after the driver supposedly lost control, according to Delk. None of the rear passengers were restrained by seat belt. There were three other fatalities in the accident including Daniel Branson, Ashlee W. Kraft and Michael T. Mabry. The release stated that the driver and front passenger survived and both were wearing their seat belts and that alchohol is not suspected to have been a contributing factor.
The incident is still under investigation and no additional information is available at this time, Officer Delk wrote in an e-mail.
Cranford was a member of Students Today Alumni Tomorrow, said her sister Lauren Cranford, a 2006 graduate and member of the Young Alumni Advisory Board for the Alumni Association.
“Suzanne was three years younger than me. We have a sister who is 28. We all got along really well,” Lauren said.
Suzanne was an accounting major and worked for a local accounting firm. She was working as a camp counselor for a summer camp in Georgia this summer, according to Brooklyn Winters, director of special interest and campus programs for the Alumni Association.
“Suzanne was trying to find her niche. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to stick with accounting or maybe move into education,” Lauren said. “She really had a passion for people and wanted to surround herself with good friends and good family and be there for them like they were for her.”
Suzanne and Branson were devout Christians and were in a relationship, said Courtney Bowman, a junior in English.
“After her and Daniel’s deaths, so many people have talked about how this has made them want to be closer to God, myself included. It has strengthened our faith and made us cling to each other and God,” Bowman said. “This was all Suzanne wanted her whole life – to bring others closer to the God she loved and served.”
Bowman fondly remembers a chat she had with Cranford in a coffee shop last fall.
“I love Suzanne. I miss Suzanne and would give anything to sit with her in that cozy back booth of Global Village and talk with her for hours again,” Bowman said.
Lauren said Suzanne was bright and funny and always excited.
“You never saw her without a smile on her face. The hardest part has been not seeing that smile,” Lauren said. “There was something about her that lit up a room and that no one else had. She had qualities that just put people at ease. She was a true friend and a true sister and she just wanted the best for everybody.”