Suzanne Drusilla Coetzee

Suzanne Drusilla Coetzee, entered into the presence of her Lord and Saviour, in the early hours of Sunday morning, November 2, 2025, at Fahrney Keedy Senior Living Community.
She is survived by her children: Timothy (Mary Jane) Coetzee of Albany, and grandchildren Mitchell and Cameron; Stephen (Lori) Coetzee of Martinsburg, and grandchildren, Ken, Robin and Jonathan, great-grandchildren Brooke, Rylee, Madison, Maya and Delilah; and her daughter Debra Morales of Boonsboro.
She is preceded in death by her husband Victor Coetzee, adopted son, Marcus Mack, son-in-law Gabe Morales and her brother Lawrence Wilson. Her passing is mourned by her siblings James Henry (Debbie)Wilson of Sierra Vista, AZ, Norma (Glyn) Davies of Springfield, MO, Carolyn (Len)Harvey of Yorkshire, England, and brother-in-law Chris(Maryna) Alexander of Lake Forest, CA, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Suzanne was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on October 18th,1941, the eldest daughter of Reverend Willard and Florence Wilson who were serving as missionaries there. Named after her great-grandmother, Susan Wilson and her paternal grandmother, Myrtle Drusilla, she was also known to her family and close friends as Sukkie or sometimes Momma Coetzee and Ouma. From a very young age it became clear that she was a natural carer and she took her responsibilities as a big sister to Norma, Henry and Carolyn very seriously. This was just the beginning of a lifetime of caring for others. In midlife she and Victor fostered over 53 medically fragile babies, bringing hope and healing to some of the most vulnerable of children.
At just 18 she met her soulmate, Victor Coetzee, and together they attended Long Island Bible Institute on Long Island, New York, and were married in 1962 after graduation. Suzanne and Victor then moved to Puerto Rico as ministers of the Gospel and it was during this sojourn that her three children, Timothy, Stephen and Debra were born.
In 1972 the family moved to Zimbabwe to work alongside her parents in the Living Waters Bible College and they also pastored the Apostolic Faith Mission Central Assembly church in Salisbury. Six years later they crossed the Atlantic again to return to the US and took up the pastorate of the Pentecostal Lighthouse Church in Paterson, New Jersey. Here Suzanne was in her element, playing the organ for services, organising events and socials, and building relationships that are both strong and lasting.
Semi-retirement led them to Tucson, Arizona where Suzanne filled every moment caring for her foster babies and advocating for them in family court at their adoptions. Her home in Arizona was a place of refuge, warm and welcoming and always filled with wonderful food! It was a place you went to when you needed advice or a shoulder to cry on and Suzanne would provide both, freely. She would make the statement, "God places lonely people in families." If you had no family then she took you into her own! Her faith in God was strong and absolute and her knowledge of the Scriptures provided a foundation from which she never wavered. Laughter and music were key elements in her home, withGaither music always on in the background and cakes baking in the oven!
In her final years Suzanne and Victor relocated to West Virginia to be nearer their sons. They were active members of the Full Gospel Pentecostal Church of Martinsburg where Suzanne played theorgan and served as the church secretary. After the passing of her beloved husband, and due to her own failing health, she moved to Fahrney-Keedy. Here she was as well known as anywhere else shehad ever lived, a force of nature and a much-loved friend and confidante. Our loss is heaven's gain.
"Those we love we never lose, for they will always be, Loved, remembered, treasured,Always in our memory."
A service in her memory will be held in the Omer Long Community Center at Fahrney-Keedy onJanuary 24th, 2026 at 1:00pm. A live stream link will be provided for those unable to travel.
In lieu of flowers,memorial contributions may be made to the Fahrney Keedy Benevolence fund.