Editor’s note: John Mullen has been reporting on the Alabama Gulf Coast and its people since 2010. In this column, he remembers one of those people who became a lifelong friend.

Orange Beach, Ala. – (OBA) – I first met Susan Anderson in 2010 when I moved to the beach full-time. For the first three months, I was down here by myself as my wife stayed behind in North Alabama to complete the sale of our house there.

After work and nobody at home, I’d find myself sitting at the bar at Doc’s Seafood Shack and Oyster Bar on Canal Road during shift change around 3-4 p.m. I met many people who worked there who have become lifelong friends.

Susan is one of those.

While most of her serving career at the beach was at Doc’s – more than 16 years’ worth – she worked at De Soto’s Seafood Kitchen after leaving Doc’s in August 2020.

Susan, 54, died on Nov. 28 at home in her sleep. A memorial service is not planned, a family friend is covering the cost of cremation and employees at De Soto’s and beloved customers are collecting money to help with other expenses. She is survived by daughter Kasey Anderson, son Robby Graham and two grandchildren.

Doc’s owner Richard Schwartz likes to call his employees at the iconic seafood shack the Doc’s family. There are several families that had multiple relatives working for Doc’s and that’s true still today.

“She was one of those great people who helped Doc's become successful,” Schwartz said. “She knew her customers. They came in looking for her. Susan understood what customer service was. I tell people that the success of Doc's is good food, great people who were glad to come to work every day with the 'glad-to-be-here' attitude. Susan Anderson will be missed.”

Rosemary Steele of the equally iconic De Soto’s said those traits carried over when she started working there bringing daughter Kasey, also a Doc’s alum, with her.

“She was loved by many and will be missed,” Steele said. “She always looked out for all of us making sure we had eaten or had a Gatorade when we were busy. She baked us the best snacks when we were slow. She made sure we saw the beautiful sunsets. Just last week she was in the kitchen baking because we had a slow night.”

Her longtime manager at Doc’s Cindy Eccleston and now a company vice president said she gave Susan and fellow longtime server Jena Hawsey the tough tasks.

“When I managed, she was one of my favorite servers,” Eccleston said. “I put her or Jena on my biggest or hard-to-please tables and they always went away happy. Susan was always kind to her customers and got them anything they wanted. She showed up ready to work every shift.”

Hawsey and Susan were running mates on many a night when Doc’s was slammed during the height of the tourist season.

“She was one of the hardest workers you'd ever meet and always there when you needed help,” Hawsey said. “Her customers were her friends, and she never forgot a face. As a person, Susan was a great mom and the most incredible mawmaw I have ever seen. Susan was the type of friend that no matter the space or time, you could pick up where you left off and never miss a beat. I will miss her tremendously.” 

The first time I met Susan there was a sign behind the bar that advertised a beer bargain but it ended after 5 p.m. and it was later than 5 and she good-naturedly reminded me of that. Right next to the sign was a clock stopped at 5 with a sign that read “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.”

“According to that clock, it’s 5 o’clock now,” I told her.

“I guess it is, baby,” she laughed. “Let me get you one of those bargain beers.” 

That put us on the road to being lifelong friends and I have many others who worked or still work at Doc’s.

When Susan met my wife for the first time, she hugged her like a family member because Susan considered us family and she was our family, too. During blackberry season, she’d share her great cobbler and I’d send her and Kasey some of my wife’s strawberry-filled, buttercream-icing cupcakes around Christmas.

Though my friend worked for two of the most iconic restaurants on the Alabama Gulf Coast, she, too, was an icon at the beach to the many customers she came to love as her family.

And they loved her right back.