On Oct. 24, 2021, Suzon (Suzi) Ziegler Mathis passed into eternal rest. Suzi was born to the late Samuel J. and Kathleen S. Ziegler at Chestnut Hill Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1940. She was raised in Ocean Grove, Ocean Township and Interlaken.
Suzi graduated from Long Branch High School in 1958 and Glassboro State College (Rowan University) in 1962. In 1974 she married Lester H. Mathis and they made their home in Little Silver since that time.
She taught first, second and third grades at the Garfield School in Long Branch, retiring in 1994 after 32 years of dedicated service to her students. An avid devotee of cross stitch and needlepoint, the walls of her home were filled with her work. She also was an amazing jewelry creator. But her main joy in retirement was the collecting of dolls and stuffed animals which graced the entire home. Her emphasis was on Lee Middleton and Laura Tuzio Ross creations. Many pleasant hours were filled with attending to the care of her dolls.
Traveling to Bermuda – where riding on a scooter as a passenger and shopping in Hamilton – was pure delight for her. Annual trips to Florida to visit with stepchildren and grandchildren, as well as visits to Disney World and Mickey’s Market Place were high on her list of activities. Attending toy train and doll conventions in cities she would have ordinarily not visited was an added joy.
She is survived by her husband Les of 47 years; her sister Mary Hill; stepsons, Jeffrey, William and his wife Marie, and Craig and his wife Terri; and grandchildren C’Aira, Patrick, Madison, Luc, Marc, Haley, Bradley and Emily. She was also close to her cousin, Albert Strassburger Jr. Her warmth and laughter will be sorely missed.
A funeral service was held Oct. 29 at Christ Church, Shrewsbury. Burial followed at the Christ Church Cemetery. Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank, has been entrusted with the arrangements.
The article originally appeared in the November 4 – 10, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
