Susan Fischer: The Fierce, Fabulous Light Who Refused to Stop Fighting

Remembering a woman who brought courage, humor, style and an unwavering commitment to others to Michigan’s cannabis community.

There are people who enter a room, and there are people who light it up.

Susan Elizabeth Fischer was the second kind.

With her infectious laugh, quick wit, strong opinions and unmistakable sense of style, Susan was impossible to forget. She could walk into a cannabis event in thigh-high boots, feathers in her hair, or an outfit that seemed to say, Yes, I am here—and you are going to notice me.

And people did.

But beneath the sass and larger-than-life personality was something even more powerful: a woman who cared deeply about people and never hesitated to stand up for them.

Susan died December 3, 2025, at the age of 55 after a years-long battle with gastrointestinal cancer. But cancer never defined her life.

If anything, it only strengthened her resolve to live it fully.

She Didn’t Just Believe in Cannabis. She Fought for It.

Susan was part of Michigan’s cannabis community during a time when patients and caregivers were still fighting to protect the promises made by voters.

She wasn’t content to stay on the sidelines.

In October 2021, Susan appeared before a Michigan legislative committee to testify against bills she believed threatened caregivers and patients. She arrived just after being released from the hospital, living with terminal cancer—and she showed up anyway.

In unmistakably Susan fashion, she urged lawmakers to remember the real people behind the policy: patients, caregivers, and those who relied on cannabis to eat, sleep, and function.

She made it personal, reminding them she had voted for Michigan’s medical marijuana law in 2008 because she believed people needed this medicine.

For Susan, it was never about money.

It was about people.

A Teacher in Every Sense

Long before cannabis advocacy, Susan spent her life helping others.

She taught eighth-grade Language Arts at McKinley Middle School in Flint for 11 years and worked in education for more than 15. But her impact went far beyond the classroom.

She quietly helped students with food, clothing, books, and encouragement. She worked at a runaway shelter, meeting people in crisis and helping them take their next step forward.

She was honored with the Golden Apple award from Channel 5 News.

That same instinct—to find people who needed help and stand beside them—carried into her advocacy work.

Susan didn’t need a title to be an advocate.

She simply showed up.

A Fighter With a Sense of Humor

Susan’s strength was never quiet.

It was loud, colorful, and unforgettable.

She laughed easily. Danced freely. Played pool. Took ridiculous photos. Showed up at events and turned ordinary moments into stories people still tell.

She could be deeply serious when it mattered—and wildly fun the next moment.

That balance was her magic.

She could defend cannabis patients in a legislative hearing, then be the one on the dance floor later that night, fully in her element.

She was witty, outspoken, compassionate—and unapologetically herself.

Susan never faded into the background. She refused to.

Living With Cancer Without Letting It Define Her

What stands out most about Susan’s story is not just that she fought cancer for years—but how she lived during that time.

A stage-four diagnosis could have narrowed her world.

Instead, she kept expanding it.

She kept advocating. Kept laughing. Kept showing up for the people she loved.

That doesn’t mean it was easy. There were hospital stays, hard days, and moments when the weight of illness was undeniable.

But Susan chose not to let it become the center of her life.

She understood time was precious—and she used hers fully.

The Woman Behind the Advocacy

Susan Fischer was more than a cannabis advocate in Lansing.

She was a teacher, counselor, women’s rights advocate, animal lover, aunt, friend, and mentor.

She had a sharp sense of humor and a wardrobe that made an entrance on its own.

And for many in Michigan’s cannabis community, she was something deeper:

A reminder of why this work matters.

Susan wasn’t fighting for an industry.

She was fighting for people.

She understood illness, access, and the consequences of systems that forget the human beings at the center of policy.

And she never hesitated to speak up.

A Legacy That Lives On

Susan’s Facebook page became a living archive of her life—more than 1,000 photos capturing friendships, events, laughter, and community.

Those images are more than memories.

They are part of Michigan cannabis history.

They reflect a movement built not just by policy, but by people who showed up, spoke out, and refused to be ignored.

Susan was one of them.

And now those memories preserve her exactly as she would want to be remembered:

Alive.

Laughing.

Fighting.

Dressed fabulously.

Surrounded by people she loved.

Susan’s Light

Susan did leave a legacy—but not just in advocacy or testimony.

Her legacy lives in the people she helped, the students she supported, the patients she stood up for, and the friends she made laugh when they needed it most.

She made people braver just by being beside them.

And she reminded everyone around her that this movement has always been about more than business.

It has always been about people.

Susan Fischer understood that.

She lived it.

She fought for it.

And she did it with humor, courage, and a light that filled every room she entered.

For those who knew her, the memories come in flashes: the laugh, the boots, the feathers, the sharp one-liners, the hugs, the arguments, the photos, the late-night conversations, the moments she said what everyone else was thinking.

Those are her gifts.

And the best way to honor her is simple: carry that spirit forward.

Keep showing up. Keep speaking up. Keep caring for people. And above all, keep living.

And if Susan were standing here today, she would probably have one more thing to say:

Get your colonoscopy.

It was a message she repeated whenever she had the opportunity. Susan knew firsthand how important it was to pay attention to your health, and she wanted other people to learn from her experience.

So maybe that is one more piece of her legacy we can carry with us.

Make the appointment.

Don’t put it off.

Take care of yourself.

Because Susan knew something many of us spend a lifetime learning:

The time is now.

And she made sure to use hers.