Obituary of Susan Dee Von Suskil
Susan Edwards von Suskil left this mortal life on September 15, 2022 as a result of
complications following cardiac surgery. She lived for 77 years and lived every one of them to
the fullest.
Susan Dee Edwards was the only daughter of Paul and Sarah Barnes Edwards. She was born at
Jacksonville Naval Air Station during the war and grew up in Tampa. She left the state to attend
college and always saw her birthplace through a child’s eyes with the wilds of the Hillsborough
River and its snakes and turtles or her uncle’s fishing hole in Epps Park as her frame of
reference. She returned frequently through the years but treasured “old” Florida. Her southern
roots extended to Ridge Spring, SC where a young militia captain, Michael Watson, fought and
died for our country and her relationship to him earned her proud designation as a Daughter of
the American Revolution. She belonged to the Lady Washington Chapter in Houston.
Susie graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1963 where one of her claims to fame was
marching in Gasparilla Day parades as a Dancerette. She attended Earlham College before
transferring to American University, graduating as a government major and accounting for her
lifelong interest in public policy. On one weekend in February 1967, she met Jim von Suskil on a
blind date at the Naval Academy and that changed everything for both of them.
Her small family and large life centered on her husband and children as did his in return. Her
children, David and Julie, were a lifelong source of pride and she enormously enjoyed their
growing into wonderful adults. David’s wife, Natalie, a second daughter to her, and their three
children (Connor, Brian, and Sarah) form the Sarasota branch of the family tree. Julie and her
daughter, Hannah, are the Dallas contingent and she visited them often.
Susie became Susan and Susan became the quintessential Navy wife who transferred her
personal ambition to her family as she navigated three dozen household moves over the course of
54 years of marriage. She filled every one of those homes with love as well as the best furniture
bargains that second-hand stores and yard sales provided. She dabbled at employment along the
way but devoted lots of time to volunteer work and excelled in water sports as a member of the
Honolulu Canoe Club and Philadelphia Dragon Boat racing teams. Although she missed her real
calling as a writer of prose and poetry, her talents frequently emerged on-line. Her many
Facebook friends will recall her fascination with the moon, her ability to transform roadside
weeds into wildflower portraits, her world-class rock collection, plus pictures of Sweet Pea, her
pet zebra dove of 21 years, and her big fuzzy dog, LuLu, who misses her as much as any of us.
Susan died at peace, with Jim at her side. There are no plans for a formal memorial service but
the family asks that you think of her as fondly as she did of you, her broad constellation of
friends. She would be pleased if you made a donation to a charity of your choice in her memory -
and would be doubly pleased if that charity provided for rescued animals.
She enjoyed becoming a Texan fifteen years ago and will be laid to rest in Houston National
Cemetery alongside her husband when the time comes for them to spend eternity together. Aloha.
