Suzanne Johnson Minnis

Suzanne Johnson Minnis 1932 – 2020 BRUNSWICK – Suzanne Johnson Minnis, of Powelton Village, passed from this life, at the age of 88, on Oct. 13, 2020, in Brunswick. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 63 years, Jack Minnis; and by sisters, Valerie (Feisinger) Yesford and Cornelia (Feisinger) Nellis of New York. She is survived by son, James Minnis of Florida, daughter, Cynthia Hutchins (Keith Garovoy); granddaughter, Laura (Hutchins) Perkins; and much-loved great-grandsons, Ryan and Jackson Perkins, all of Maine; also by brother, Gerald Feisinger (Sandy) of New York, brothers-in-law, Douglas Minnis of California and Robert Minnis (Julie) of California; cousin, Jeanne Coombs (Robert) of New York; and many nieces and nephews. Sue and Jack met in Sue’s hometown, Syracuse N.Y., where the Air Force had posted Jack, and married after a two-month whirlwind courtship. Sue lived a life of commitment to family and civic involvement in her community. The new Powell Elementary School library was catalogued in her dining room and she was a behind-the-scenes organizer when Jack was hired as English Department chair of the newly founded Community College of Philadelphia. In the ’70s, when adoption records were legally sealed, Sue tracked down her birth parents and became life-long friends with her new-found siblings. Working with the Adoption Forum, she helped many others through the challenges of searching for birth families. She was a lifetime member of the Powelton Village Civic Association, especially its zoning committee, where she worked tirelessly to preserve Powelton as a family-centered neighborhood. Her energy, compassion, commitment, and witty, outgoing personality will be sorely missed by family, friends, and neighbors. Donations in her memory may be made to Philabundance or to the Philadelphia Public Library.