Mary Suzanne Ratliff

1950 - 2024

Mary Suzanne Ratliff took her final breath on July 23, 2024 at Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital in Germantown. Suzie often claimed that she had lived well past her expiration date. In the end, her body couldn't overcome the significant complications that developed from the chemotherapy she received for pancreatic cancer.

Suzie came to life on September 24, 1950 and was immediately adopted by Charles R. and Virginia Byrne Ratliff of Brookhaven, MS. This family and the town of Brookhaven rallied to support her need for open heart surgery–a significant event for a 7 year old in 1957. The surgery succeeded in providing her a strong body and an interesting future.

After graduating from Brookhaven High School, Suzie earned degrees at the Mississippi College for Women, the University of Memphis, and Vanderbilt University. Her education in speech therapy and special education allowed her to work in the Mississippi Delta as a therapist and in Henning, TN, Memphis, TN, and Nashville, TN as a special education teacher. As she pursued her doctorate, she worked as a counselor at the Care Unit at Meharry Hospital and in the eating disorders unit at the Adventist Hospital.

She moved to Memphis in 1990 to begin work as a counselor for the City of Memphis EAP. When the department was outsourced, she continued working for the city as director of drug testing, director of special services, deputy director of human resources, and finally, director of safety.

People recognized in Suzie a spirit of optimism that few humans possess. She was smart, witty, capable, and courageous. She loved gadgets. She played to win at sports and other games. She was passionate about environmental justice. Even so, she was a peacemaker who worked to reconcile people to themselves and each other. She was gracious to the people in her life–those she knew well and those she met in line at the grocery store. She loved all animals, especially her dogs and cat. She found joy as a foster mom for Real Good Dog Rescue for a few years, and finally gave it up as a "foster failure" who couldn't afford to keep any more pets. As she lived with multiple manifestations of cancer cells in her body, her resilience was an inspiration to others. The Kosten Foundation Support group knew her as a 10 year survivor of pancreatic cancer. In the end, it wasn't the cancer that defeated her, it was the complications arising from its treatment.

She is predeceased by her parents. She is survived by her life partner Mary Lin Hudson of Memphis; her sister in law, Sue Beth Hudson (Kevin Hunt) of Virginia Beach, VA; her nephews, Kevin Hudson Hunt of Virginia Beach, VA and Joseph Forrest Hunt of Denver, CO; her uncle Caby Byrne and wife Betty of Clinton, MS; multiple friends and family members; and her furry children Casper, Roscoe, PK, Frannie, and Lula.

A service in celebration of her life will be held at First Congregational Church at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Kosten Foundation (kostenfoundation.com) or a charity of the donor's choice.