Sue Browning, turned lightning protection into a business

"Not only was Sue able, as an estimator, to think about the cost of a job in man-hours and materials, she was able to visualize the finished product -- kind of a three-dimensional talent," he said.

In the mid-1990s the two of them decided they wanted to become their own bosses.

"Sue and I had gained extensive experience in lightning protection, and we thought this could be a niche where we could succeed," Mr. Powell said. "We opened our business in 1997, and for a year or so did all the work ourselves. Eventually, we reached the point where we could hire crews, but even then Sue would go do installation jobs or train new workers when it became necessary."

Sue Browning, 57, died April 22 at her Atlanta home of cancer. A memorial service will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home. A second memorial service is planned in Boise, Idaho, on May 8. In lieu of flowers, it was Miss Browning's wish that donations be made to Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah, 84741 or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 424 E. 92nd Street, New York, NY, 10128.

Born and educated in Idaho, Miss Browning had some difficult teenage years and in her early 20s became a committed member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Alvin Daigle of Atlanta said he first met Miss Browning about nine years ago through AA. "Sue was a friend and mentor," he said. "She was compassionate, supportive and extremely patient. If I had problems, she would be a good listener and suggest solutions from her own experience. Once, when a long-term relationship I had with someone else was coming apart, Sue helped me to keep it intact."

Miss Browning had an abiding interest in spirituality, one she shared with a friend, Julie Hill of East Point. "Sue was open to a lot of spiritual influences such as the American-born guru Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati and the Dalai Lama," Ms. Hill said. "Sue took classes sponsored by Kashi Atlanta] in meditation and spiritual growth, but she also helped out in the group's regular deliveries of lunches to homeless people in downtown Atlanta."

The Rev. Betty Castellani, executive director of DeKalb Medical Center's Cancer Services, called Miss Browning a remarkable patient. "Sue looked upon life as a journey and upon cancer as part of that journey," she said. "Sue didn't let go of hope, she never complained, and she cared about other patients as much as herself."

Survivors include her mother, Dorothy Browning of Boise; three sisters, Judy Swann of Colorado Springs., Colo.,  Linda Hall of Salt Lake City and Carol Lynn Chase of Syracuse, Utah; and a brother, Wylie Browning of Idaho Falls, Idaho.