Suzanne Berry Bissell

Suzanne Berry Bissell was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on October 29, 1926. She died in Sarasota surrounded by her family on Monday, June 23, 2025. Near the end of her life, she made certain everyone knew she wasn’t just 98 years old, she was “98-and a-half.” Sue loved her family, her friends, and her church. She enjoyed swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, decorating her cherished Ralph & William Zimmerman designed home, puttering in the yard, volunteering in the community, and keeping up with the news. She was curious, creative, and hardworking. To her final days, she had an incredible memory. She was a feminist, even if she didn’t use that word to describe herself. She admired strong, intelligent, independent women. When someone tried to compliment her by saying she was “sweet,” she would reply, “I don’t want to be sweet!” Sue was shaped by growing up during the Great Depression and World War II. She and her family moved often, from Oklahoma to Indiana and back to Illinois, wherever her father could find work. Sue, her parents, Max and Mildred Berry, and her younger brother, Bill, lived in a series of rental houses and an apartment above a hardware store in Berwyn, Illinois, a business her father later owned. During the war, while attending Downers Grove North High School, Sue worked at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Plant in Chicago assembling quartz crystal radios. After graduating, she attended Lindenwood College, an all-girls school in St. Charles, Missouri. Her sophomore year, she had the opportunity to sit in the press box and report on Winston Churchill’s famous Iron Curtain speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Her article appeared in the student newspaper, the Linden Bark. Sue called it “a once-in-alifetime experience.” That same year, Sue met her future husband, Jack Bissell, a University of Missouri business student and former WWII Army Air Corps B-24 bombardier, on a blind date. They married in 1947, lived briefly in St. Louis, then moved to Gainesville, Florida, where Sue earned her bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Florida and Jack graduated from the College of Law. After touring several towns in Florida, they settled in Sarasota in 1952, even after their friends urged them to choose Bradenton, because Sarasota was a little too “avant-garde.” They ignored the advice and never regretted their decision. Sue carried the lessons of the Depression with her, and like many of her contemporaries, she lived frugally. She was a thrifter before it was considered cool, but back then she called it “antiquing.” Sue was an enthusiastic volunteer at the Women’s Exchange for years and served on the board as secretary and vice president. She was an avid reader, especially of biographies and history. Sue qualified for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, just in time to celebrate America’s bicentennial in 1976. During her long life, Sue owned just three cars. The first two were her favorites, both classic Volkswagen Beetles (1954 and 1963). She’d load dozens of lunches in her tiny car when she delivered food for Meals on Wheels. Sue could be seen zooming all around smalltown Sarasota. Everyone knew who was behind the wheel of the pale blue VW Bug. She reluctantly bought another brand when she could no longer find a mechanic to work on her 40-year-old car. In the mid-1950s, Sue and several friends began talking about forming a Junior League in Sarasota. Many of them had lived in other cities where Junior League members were trained to be effective community volunteers. They thought Sarasota needed a similar group. In 1957, the Junior Welfare League of Sarasota was established with 75 charter members. Sue was the founding president, proudly serving two terms. She remembered the early projects fondly: writing and producing puppet shows for elementary students, staffing a community Halloween haunted house, reading aloud weekly as the “Story Lady” to young children at the Chidsey Public Library, and working on one of the first fundraisers, Barely Blemished, a large thrift sale. After satisfying all the requirements to be admitted to the national organization, including the town reaching the required population, the Junior Welfare League officially became the Junior League of Sarasota in 1976. Over the years, Sue received numerous awards for her work in the League, including Sustainer of the Year and the inaugural Charter Award. She remained active in the League, working on projects and supporting fundraisers well into her 90s. She was proud that her daughter and granddaughter followed in her footsteps as League members. Nearly 70 years have passed since Sue helped found the organization. She was delighted to see the League grow, adapt to change, and flourish, with hundreds of women making a difference in their community to this day. A lifelong Episcopalian, Sue was a communicant at Church of the Redeemer, where she served on the Altar Guild and was a member of Episcopal Church Women. She volunteered for years at Caritas and the Episcopal Thrift House with fellow parishioners. Sue is survived by her daughter, Cady Ferguson; son-in-law, Scott Ferguson; granddaughter, Grier Ferguson; and niece, Tricia Berry Drendel (Tom). She was predeceased by her husband, Jack (2003), and her brother, Bill (2022). Sue’s wish was to live the rest of her life in her beloved Siesta Key home of nearly 60 years. Her “All-Star Team” of caregivers helped her almost achieve her goal. Joy, Richelle, LeiAnn, Libby, Llirna, and Teresa cared for her diligently the last seven years of her life. When the 2024 hurricanes forced Sue to move temporarily to the mainland, they continued their excellent care. The family is indebted to each one of them for doing everything possible to make her life comfortable. Care manager Heidi and Tidewell Hospice nurse Frankie were tremendous additions to Sue’s team. 

SERVICE: A requiem mass will be held Friday, July 18, at 11:30 a.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 222 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota. 

DONATIONS: In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Junior League of Sarasota or Church of the Redeemer.