Suzanne Bowman Jones

Suzanne Bowman Jones, 89, of Leesburg passed away peacefully on October 22, 2023, after a brief hospitalization at UF Health Leesburg Hospital following surgery. Suzanne (“Sue”) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 9, 1934. She was the second daughter to Alene and Robert Bowman, and she and her sister, Barbara, were raised in Chicopee Falls. As a child, Suzanne developed a love of music - she played piano, alto saxophone, clarinet, cello, and more. She played tennis and was active in Rainbow Girls. Robert and Alene taught their daughters to value education, service, and self-reliance, and Sue carried these values with her throughout her life. Suzanne earned her B.S. in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire in 1955. During her freshman year at UNH, she fell head-over-heels for Willard (“Bill”) Jones. They married after her graduation and went on to share more than 60 years together, making music (Sue on piano or cello and Bill on violin) and traveling the backroads and discovering small towns, restaurants, and historic places on the roads less traveled throughout New England (and later California, Wisconsin, and Florida). Sue and Bill were very involved in the lives of their 3 children, Rob, Doug, and Beth. In later years, they were devoted grandparents. In 1999, they retired to Leesburg, Florida. After Bill’s death, Suzanne found the second love of her life in McCoy Gibbs. Suzanne attained her first professional position at Harvard’s Widener Library where she fell in love with libraries. When she and Bill relocated to Enfield, CT to raise their family, she worked as a substitute teacher and a private piano teacher for a time, but she later returned to library work, ultimately earning a Master's degree in Library Science. She worked as a children’s librarian, was the branch director for two different libraries in Springfield, MA, and eventually became the director of the Enfield Public Library system. Even in retirement, she continued to work as a librarian, running the library at her progressive living center (Lakeport Square) until the week of her death. Suzanne loved life, and she was fiercely loyal, independent, and adventurous. Her dedication to community service continued into retirement; in addition to her work in the library, she made lunches for school children, volunteered to meet with cardiac surgery patients through Mended Hearts, and worked with her local Kiwanis club. Rather than slowing down in retirement, Suzanne started tap and jazz dance with the Bette Basehore dancers, engaged in a number of social groups, sang with Friends-in-Accord, took up needlepoint and knitting, and was an active member of Morrison UMC. Suzanne looked out for friends and neighbors and continued to write birthday and get-well cards for residents in her building until the time of her death. She was preceded in death by her parents, Alene and Robert Bowman, her sister, Barbara Grisham Baker, her husband Willard Jones, and her second husband McCoy Gibbs. She leaves behind her three children: Robert Jones (David Kerr), Douglas (Carolina Cudemus) Jones and Elizabeth Seebach; three granddaughters Kelsey Jones, Rachel Seebach (Sean) Cahill, and Mallory Jones, and Kyle Cudemus-Brown, Jason (Courtney) Cudemus-Brown, and Ryan Cudemus-Brunoli, and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, November 18 at 11:00 am at Morrison United Methodist Church, Leesburg, Florida. Visitation will start at 10:15 am at the church. In her honor, please hold close those you love and tell them you love them; in lieu of flowers, please honor her memory by donating to Kiwanis, Leesburg chapter to support their ongoing work with children and the Leesburg community. Arrangements entrusted to Beyers Funeral Home of Leesburg, Florida.

Suzanne Bowman Jones

June 9, 1934 - October 22, 2023