Suzanne A. Nelson

Suzanne A. Nelson, 91, of West Townsend, Mass., died on December 22, 2025, at Emerson Hospital in Concord.

Suzanne was born in Queens, New York, on September 5, 1934, daughter of the late Robert and Gwendolyn (Hoeft) Nelson.

She grew up a New Yorker. She often spoke fondly of riding the subway to Carnegie Hall as a young woman pursuing a career in dance and the arts, which became a lifelong passion. Prior to her retirement, Suzanne worked for the New York Department of Education in the Transportation division.

Suzanne has lived in West Townsend for nearly 40 years. She was a member of the Unitarian Universalist congregation at the First Parish Church of Groton, where she was surrounded by a community of loving and supportive friends. Among them were the Rev. Elea Kemler; her dear friends Sarah Iacobucci and Charline Driscoll; her fellow usher Diane Swift; and Sue Gleason. Her piano teachers and friends, Nancy Peters and Pei Chun-Lin of Groton Hill Music Center, helped her rekindle her love of music. She was an avid supporter of the arts and worked in fund-raising for local organizations and events.

Suzanne leaves her three sons, Christopher Barbieri and his wife, Joan, of Selden, New York, Stephen Barbieri of West Townsend, and Richard Barbieri and his wife, Angela, of Sunnyside, New York; a granddaughter, Katie Barbieri, and her husband, Tom Flesher, and a great grandson, Carter. Suzanne's grandson, Christopher Barbieri, died in 2007 after a courageous fight with cancer.

The T.J. Anderson & Son Funeral Home, 250 Main St., Townsend, is assisting the family with the memorial arrangements, which will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Parish Church of Groton or the Groton Hill Music Center.