Suzanne Church

Suzanne was born on March 24, 1947

in Detroit, Michigan to Carl and Barbara Schneider. She was their middle child, along with older sister Carol and younger brother Kenneth. All have preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughters Nichole and Danielle, sons-in-law David and Jason and 3 grandchildren, Nicholas, Taylor, and Chloe.

When Suzanne was four years old the family moved to California, moving frequently around the San Jose area until they settled on Casa Blanca Lane in Saratoga. She found it challenging often changing schools up till then, but after attending the original Campbell High School for a time, she was in the first graduating class of the brand-new Westmont High School in 1965.

A little while after graduating high school, two ladies knocked on her door and introduced her to the name that she would forever cling to… Jehovah. She would later remark that she always thought his name sounded beautiful. Thereafter, she started studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses and eagerly started applying what she was learning. So much so that when she heard that there was an assembly in Kings City, CA where those who wished to could be baptized, she was determined to go. She got baptized in symbol of her dedication to Jehovah there on November 20, 1965 only six weeks after her first study! “Because that is what we are supposed to do. That is what the Bible says we need to do to serve Jehovah acceptably” she said. That early act of faith in God’s Word set the precedent for how she would live the rest of her life. It was through her faith and obedience that she would continue to show her trust in her Creator and Friend, and this would prove vital in the years to come.

When she found herself a single parent to two young girls after 17 years of marriage, she always made spiritual activities and the congregation the center of family life, not compromising in order to have more materially. Times were lean, but Jehovah provided again and again. Pioneering, meetings for field service, and book study in the home along with active association was part of life. These spiritual activities would serve to forge friendships and continue to build on a reputation that would sustain her later in life.

Suzanne had several careers in her life: nurse’s aide, housecleaning and massage therapist. All physically demanding and tiring forms of work, she sought them out for a common reason; they helped people. Everything she embarked on, whether it was employment or full time preaching, had the goal of making someone else’s life better. That is how she felt the most useful.

Despite her strong faith and unwavering loyalty, things were not easy for Suzanne. There were many challenges she had to contend with. These lifelong battles, similar to Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”, made daily life exhausting, and at times, feel burdensome. However, she never ceased supplicating Jehovah for the strength to continue, and she never lost her zeal for study, meetings, and her ministry. In fact, that is how Jehovah sustained her. Through these activities he answered her prayers by providing the strength and strong friendships she needed.

Suzanne continued adapting to changing times and seeking ways to help people up until the very end. She cherished her opportunity to be a part of the San Francisco Metropolitan Witnessing program and to be among the first to be welcomed back to the Los Gatos DMV for cart witnessing. And like many others who found Zoom challenging, she forged ahead and embraced her role in letter writing and phone witnessing. Even as her speech became more labored, she simplified her phrases to continue to comment at meetings and toward the end relied on sign language to witness. She even placed the “Enjoy Life Forever” book with one of her caregivers just two weeks before her passing. She never gave up her privilege and opportunity to talk to others about her God and Father, Jehovah.