SUZZON "SUZIE" O. JACKSON

December 16, 1941 - June 17, 2018

SUZZON “SUZIE” O. JACKSON died peacefully, surrounded by family, on Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Alexandria, Virginia after a long battle due to the complications of diabetes. Suzie was born in 1941, the youngest of five children born to Ernestine Sherman Jackson and Fred Jackson. She was raised in Monroe, Louisiana by her beloved maternal grandfather, William F. Sherman. She graduated from Grambling State University in 1963 and then left Louisiana to travel. She eventually settled in Washington, D.C. In the mid to late sixties, she worked for the Department of Interior and later for the Department of the Army, Civilian Special Services in Busan, South Korea. Towards the end of her assignment in Busan, she was cast in a lead role of a Korean language film, roughly translated as “American Bride.” The film is about a black American woman who marries into a conservative Korean family and struggles to find acceptance in her new culture. After leaving Korea, Suzie ventured to Los Angeles, CA to continue pursuing an acting career. Following her first earthquake, however, she changed her mind and returned to Washington D.C. where she dated and married Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (and later Department of Justice) attorney David W. Zugschwerdt of Kingsport, TN. The couple lived in Southwest, D.C., where they started their family, and moved to Alexandria, VA in 1976. Her husband, David, preceded her in death in 1996. Throughout the 1980s,1990s, and into the 2000s, Suzie was active in her local community: she organized her neighborhood crime watch, hosted block parties and cared for aging neighbors. Her greatest success was spearheading the community fight to save the Burke Branch of the Alexandria Public Library when it was threatened with closure. She fought hard to save the library for future young families in the city of Alexandria because of the fond memories of her own daughters using the library facilities as they grew up. As a young mother, Suzie traveled extensively within the United States. Road trips with her girls during summer vacations evolved into solo cross-country adventures after her daughters left home to start their own lives. She was happiest traveling and meeting new people. In 2003, Suzie began struggling with the complications of Brittle Diabetes, beginning with macular degeneration and, in more recent years, arteriosclerosis. Despite suffering chronic and progressive health issues, Suzie managed to continue travelling across the United States, spending winters with her sisters in Monroe, LA and making multiple trips to see her daughters, friends, and relatives in Los Angeles, CA, She also spent time in two of her favorite cities: Asheville, NC and Maricopa, AZ. Suzie is survived by her daughter Michele Zugschwerdt, her son-in-law, Robert Rivera, and her grandson, Isaac Rivera Zugschwerdt; her daughter, Lisa Zugschwerdt; her grand-dogs, Gissy and Hannah B.; her brother, Fred LaRoy Jackson of Alexandria, VA; her sister, Margaret Newman of Monroe, LA; her beloved niece, Yolanda Moorhead of Alexandria, VA and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends across the United States and around the world. In addition to her husband, Suzie was also preceded in death by two sisters, Carolyn Kennedy and Gloriastine Secrease. Suzie was one-of-a-kind. She loved life. She fiercely loved her friends, family and of course, her dear pet miniature schnauzers, Jackie and Vickie. Most of all, she loved extending hospitality to everyone she crossed paths with, no matter where they came from. She will be dearly missed by friends and family alike. She did it her way. Interment of ashes will be at Richwood Memorial Gardens on Saturday, July 21, 2018 at 11:00am. Afterwards, friends and family are invited to a repast at Zion Traveler Baptist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sherman/Jackson Scholarship Fund at the University of Louisiana Monroe. (Instructions Below) The Sherman/Jackson Scholarship Fund was established in memory of William F. Sherman and Suzie O. Jackson. Its purpose is to assist deserving full-time African-American students with a minimum 3.0 GPA pursuing a degree in the ULM School of Sciences. If you would like to donate by mail, please contact the ULM Scholarship Office at 1-800-372-5127. If you would like to complete an online donation, please follow the instructions below. Website: https://tinyurl.com/ybh2a8cn The online donation process is a bit cumbersome, but the cause was very meaningful to our mother. So please, bear with it! Payments accepted: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. Instructions for online donations: *After arriving at the website enter your donation in the box under “Type In Your Gift Amount”. *Next, make sure the quantity is set to “1” *Now click the green “Add To Cart” button *You’ll be taken to a new page where you will be asked to “Please indicate the scholarship fund you would like to give to (if known):” - here you must type in “Sherman/Jackson Scholarship” in order for it to be credited to the scholarship fund. *If you benefit from a matching program you may add your employer information if you choose *Now click the green “Continue” button *You’ll be taken to a third page where you will confirm your donation and you must enter your e-mail address *Now click the green “Continue Unregistered” button *You’ll be taken to a fourth page where you enter your credit card and billing information *Now click the green “Continue” button *Finally, you will be taken to a fifth page to review your order. *Now click the green “Submit Order” button *It will process and take you to a page you can print for your tax records. That’s it, you’re done! Thank you.