Page 90 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2026

Ron Hedges
story by Lynn Lofton
photos courtesy of Sue Adams, Ron Hedges and Memorial Health System
Bucket list is a familiar term to most everyone, but especially
to those in the Golden Years who may feel time is running out
to check off everything on the list. A movie by the same name
popularized the expression several years ago. Whether it’s an
actual list in writing or ideas inside your head, a bucket list gives
credence to things we want to do. For some it’s traveling, or it’s a
desire to start a hobby or maybe reignite an old passion.
For Ocean Springs resident Sue Adams, who is now painting
and enrolled in an art class, art is far removed from her job as a
computer engineer working in Naval Defense for 32 years.
“I was a developer of software, manager of software engineers,
and project manager for research projects,” she says. “My
engineering days involved spending most of my time at a
computer inside various neutral colored buildings. Being an
artist has made me much more aware of and grateful for the
beauty all around us.”
There is some art in her background. At age nine she drew
a portrait from a photo of an infant cousin and remembers
it being well received. In eighth grade she was introduced to
pastels and her teacher kept one of her large pieces. She took art
in high school and designed and made some of her clothes.
“I am a very practical person and went into computer
engineering in hopes of being in a career where women’s salaries
would be more equal to their male counterparts,” she said.
“Being an artist was a dream occupation in my mind. Prior to
retirement and Hurricane Katrina, I had taken pottery courses
at the Walter Anderson Museum. I most enjoyed experimenting
with the various glazes. I have always loved bright color.”
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Sue Adams