Susan Goering was born in 1952 into a Mennonite family in North Newton, Kansas. Her family's pacifist beliefs would influence her life trajectory, and she was also inspired by watching a broadcast of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech during the March on Washington. Her father, Milton Goering, was a football coach, and the family lived in Ohio for a period before settling in Wichita. She studied political science and English at the University of Kansas, then graduated from law school there as well.