Susan Lane Johnson

Susan Johnson of Decatur, Georgia, passed away on March 1, 2026, at the age of 78. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 7, 1947, Susan was the youngest of three children born to the late Lois Herring and Mont Johnson. She was preceded in death by her brother, Monty Craig Johnson.

Susan has loved and created art since she graduated with a fine arts degree from UCLA in 1970. After moving to Atlanta in 1979 as a single mother with her small daughter and young son, she continued to make art whenever she could. After her first art show in 2001, she continued to show her art. One of her dear friends was a great advocate for art in Atlanta and hosted her shows at several small galleries throughout the city. She later created art under the title Sulajo, which was born out of her name.

To make ends meet, Susan drove as a courier for about 20 years. One of her delivery clients recognized Susan’s intellect and potential and hired her as a permit expeditor. In 1999, Susan started her own permit expediting business, Metro Atlanta Permits. She built a strong reputation as a knowledgeable and efficient resource for builders and developers and grew her business almost entirely through referrals.

Then she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. During her treatment, Susan began to concentrate more on things that fulfilled her spiritually. She spent a month living on the beach in St. Simon’s, GA. She practiced Qi Gong and Tai Chi and even became certified to teach Qi Gong. She contributed a large part of her recovery to these healing practices. One of the places where she explored these practices was Decatur Healing Arts. When she learned that DHA was going to close its doors in 2008, she just couldn’t let that happen. She took a leap of faith and purchased the business.

Susan still ran her permitting business, but her passion was in Decatur Healing Arts. Her goal and desire were to give healers a platform to share their different and unique healing modalities. It was most important for her to make all the classes, events, and therapies available and affordable to as many people as possible, so that they could experience the level of healing that had helped to save her own life.

Susan was such a force. She created a place of true healing and community. If someone needed a leg up, she would do her best to help them, whether she could truly afford to or not. She loved music, poetry, and art. She believed that “creating comes from within naturally and that all humans have that capacity”. She was an excellent cook. She loved to travel — especially to the beach. St. Barth was one of her favorite island destinations. She loved to discuss all things metaphysical, spiritual, and philosophical. She opened minds and hearts and tried to keep hers open as well. Susan made many deep, lasting connections, and she will be missed.

Susan was fiercely proud of her two children and their accomplishments. She is survived by her son, Nicholas Buckley (and wife Tamara), and her daughter, Lakiesha Johnson; her sister Dennise Swanson; two grandchildren, Trinity and Zane Buckley, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Susan will have two Celebrations of Life: a small gathering at her home later this spring and one in the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico over the summer, which is by invitation only.