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She loves working with flowers but don’t think for a minute Sue Baldus is a shrinking violet.

If you have any doubts, watch her play cornhole. I wouldn’t advise signing up as her opponent unless and until you have taken lessons from a pro.

She’s a consummate smack-talking backyard board master, and her competitive nature can be traced back to childhood, where she was the lone girl in a five-sibling household.

Sue was born and raised in Lineville, Alabama, the daughter of O.B. and Mildred Messer. She was the middle child of five children, with two older brothers and two younger brothers.

There she attended Lineville Elementary and Lineville High School.

The story of how she ended up in Morristown is an intriguing tale of workplace romance.

As a young woman, Sue worked as a Laboratory Assistant for the Plant Chemist at Amerace Esna, industrial rubber manufacturing plan in Lineville.

She met and married the Plant Manager, Don Baldus.

There’s a story there, of course. It is rumored that Don engaged in a bit of reconnaissance prior to asking Sue out. He had a theory that if she kept the interior of her car clean, then she would be able to put up with his penchant for, let’s say, ‘detail management.’

Sue not only passed the test, she has ever since kept Don on his toes with regard to ‘detail management.’

Don and Sue have four children, two who live and work in the Lakeway Area and two living in other states.

Don and Sue’s life journey took them on various plant managerial assignments, the last of which brought them from Little Valley, New York to Morristown in 1975.

When the next managerial assignment opportunity approached, the couple decided to remain in Morristown and put down permanent roots.

Years ago, Sue had the opportunity to work as a member of the original Blossom Shop team, founded in 1938 and located in what is now the First Baptist Church student building.

In the meantime, Don became a Realtor and after spending two years learning the ropes of Real Estate, he opened his own business and named it Settlers Realty.

Sue became a part of the team there and shortly after becoming a Realtor, their daughter, Susan Baldus Holt, joined them in the business.

Sue was honored as Realtor of the Year in 1989 by the Morristown Association of Realtors for her work and her dedication to the board.

When the original owner of the Blossom Shop passed away, its building was willed to First Baptist, meaning the remaining shop employees were faced with the need to relocate the business. They moved to temporary quarters and expressed to Sue the need to find a new permanent location.

Don purchased a vacant lot at the corner of High Street and West Third North Street and the Blossom Shop was built, completed in 1989. While the business is now 84 years old, its current location is 34 years old.

And the business grew. Each day was spend providing quality floral arrangements, with on-time delivery at a reasonable price.

In addition to Sue and Susan partnering in the work at the shop, in the early 2000s, they were fortunate to bring into the business employees Mike Johnson and Tim Webb. The four became the mainstay of the business for more than 20 years.

The workshop, or the back of the house, was and continues to be the hub of the business, with a number of part-time employees and delivery drivers enjoying the camaraderie that became rampant within its space over the years. From shared lunches and celebrations to offering tips on arranging fresh and silk arrangements, the workshop has attracted longtime customers and passersby to experience the humor and warmth that made the Blossom Shop such a unique mainstay in the community.

The front of the house has always been the place where the owners and employees spend time with customers, both those who are celebrating and those who have just suffered a loss. The care taken there, especially with those who are often in the early stages of the grieving process, goes above and beyond typical retail interactions.

The Blossom Shop built a wonderful reputation with loyal customers, which led to word-of-mouth advertising. The business continued to grow.

At the end of 2022, Susan and Sue sold The Blossom Shop business, with both Mike and Tim remaining to run the operation.

Today, Sue is 84 and deserves a long-awaited retirement.

However, as you can imagine, she and daughter Susan already miss the business.

“It’s nice to get some sleep in the morning, but I miss the shop,” Sue said.

However, as Sue also says, “Now I can devote more time to being a Rotarian.” And she looks forward to her other service to the community and to spending more time at home during spring and summer, as she loves working in her yard and flowers.

As a Rotarian, Sue believes in the club’s motto, “Service Above Self.”

She is currently an active Charter member of Lakeway CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Sue has been with Lakeway CASA since the beginning and is the agency’s longest serving board member.

“We have all these wonderful volunteers that take care of the children,” Sue said. “This is a very caring and respected organization that is very involved and committed to positively impacting young lives.”

She has served as a board member and board president of Lakeway Area Habitat for Humanity and also served as a board member of Morristown-Hamblen Central Services.

Sue is a longtime Rotarian.

Rotary was a ‘men only’ organization until women were admitted in 1989 and that is the year Sue became a Rotarian. She has been a Rotarian for 34 years. As a Club member, she has served with distinction in many important roles and made an important footprint within the Rotary Club of Morristown. She served as Chair of the Service Committee for 10 years.

Sue’s dedication also carries over to her membership at Our Savior Lutheran Church where over the years she has contributed her time and talent to the work of her Lord.

Don and Sue are enjoying time together, and this July, they will celebrate 53 years of wedded bliss.

And Sue will be at home, playing in her flowers. Well, when she’s not at weekly Rotary meetings, or raising funds for CASA, or helping with Our Savior projects, or checking in on Mike and Tim, or defending her neighborhood cornhole champion title.