JoAnn Szuszka

A memorial service celebrating the life of JoAnn Szuszka of Leesville, LA will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 11, 2025, at Jeane's Funeral Service in Leesville. A visitation will be held at Jeane's on Friday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. JoAnn was born January 3, 1940, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to her parents, Stella and Chester Zielinski. JoAnn passed away Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Alexandria, Louisiana. She attended school throughout Milwaukee and graduated from South Division High School, then attended nursing school from M.A.T.C. where she earned her LPN degree. After nursing school, she married and became a Military Officer Spouse. She traveled the world and enjoyed every duty station then lived in her last station at Fort Polk as a single mother with her two sons, Gary and Michael. She made Leesville her permanent home and started her career as a nurse at the old Bayne Jones Army Hospital (BJACH) in the old yellow buildings by the old Commissary. Then when they rebuilt BJACH, at this time she became a scrub technician in the operating room and worked in Central Material Supply. Throughout her 30 years with the hospital, JoAnn worked with over 270 surgeons and was designated to train Military Physician Assistances and Military Scrub Techs. She oversaw four services, General Surgery, ENT/EYE, OB/GYN, and the C-section room, and also was responsible for over 300 types of sutures for all the operating rooms. She knew that OR and CMS like the back of her hand. JoAnn was known for calling everyone "Dirt Ball". She was a devoted catholic all of her life and never missed attending services even when she was out of town. Right at 11:00 a.m. she took her lunch break so she could watch the soap opera "The Young and the Restless" on CBS in the "call" room with other techs and nurses. It seemed like she practically lived in her rose garden and had a rose of every color. She loved other flowers and enjoyed spending time with her friends going to "Melrose Place" looking at crafts and flowers. JoAnn looked forward to shopping at "Ollies" in DeRidder after stopping at the Waffle House to eat. She was a passionate Green Bay Packers fan – Go Green Bay! She earned various awards throughout her years at BJACH and met thousands of friends due to her military service. JoAnn loved to get together on the weekends and play "Chicken Foot" with friends, but her favorite game was "Cribbage". JoAnn's family extends their heart-felt appreciation to her friends, Charlotte McAfee, Brenda Tucker, all the surgeons, scrub techs, and coworkers who became her friends, and especially to her best friend, Pam Simmons. JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents. She leaves behind the two loves of her life – sons, Gary Allan Szuszka of Hammond, LA and Michale John Szuszka of Leesville. She is also survived by her sister, Carol Culver (John) of Wisconsin. Flowers will be donated to St. Michael's Catholic Church after her service.