Image provided by “Ole Suzy”
It has taken a lot of living, but Marietta Community Foundation Legacy Society member, Suzanne Walters, is finally growing into the name on her vanity license plate.
“Ole Suzy!” she laughed. “That’s my nickname. I’ve had that license plate since Ed and I were first married. You should’ve seen the look on the face of the fella at the BMV when I asked for it. He thought I was joking.”
A lifelong resident of Marietta, Suzanne was happily married to Edgar M. Walters, who passed away in 2000, for 27 years. She celebrated her 90th birthday in July of 2021.
“I never dreamed I’d be ninety,” she said. “When I was little girl, wee little, I used to say I’m going to live to be 113. Well, now that I’m ninety, I’m reconsidering that. I really am.” She laughed again.
Suzanne is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Edward Parrish Chapter Colonial Dames XVII Century, and the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. She has served as a board member for Franciscan Community Meals and is a lifetime member of the Betsey Mills Club – which she has supported for many years — and is a big proponent of being active in the community.
“I’ve lived here all my life and I like to help out where I can,” she said. “I can’t volunteer anymore but I used to do it a lot, helping with the pot pie dinner at the Betsey Mills, volunteering at the theatre for plays, or the time I helped paint that boat – the Becky Thatcher – with my niece and nephews. They loved that. There’s always something different here to do where you can help and meet new people.”
Another way Suzanne is helping the Marietta community far into the future is by making a gift to Marietta Community Foundation in her will. People who include the Foundation as a beneficiary in their estate plans are honored as members of the 1788 Legacy Society.
Named for the year Marietta was founded by the Ohio Company of Associates as the first settlement in the Northwest Territory, the 1788 Legacy Society supports an endowed fund for the future of Washington County to preserve its unique culture, history, and tradition.
“I think Marietta is a wonderful place to live,” Suzanne said. “We’ve got the river and the river activities, we’ve got the historic homes, like the Castle and the Anchorage – I used to help with the holiday decorations in those homes back when I knew the people who lived in them — and we’ve got all of the wonderful clubs, churches, and lodges where you can meet people who enjoy the things you do.”
Suzanne is a retiree of McJunkin Corporation, a valve and pipe-fitting company that provided equipment to the oil and gas industry, a job she loved for its people and the fun they had together. She enjoys spending time with her niece and nephews, tending her garden and her orchids, and especially decorating for holidays.
“I decorate for every holiday,” she says. “Christmas is my favorite. Our house, I used to really decorate it and people used to visit just to see the house. Ed would bring all his co-workers over — he used to say, ‘If I stood still, she’d decorate me!’ But it was really very pretty and we had a lot of people come to see it.”
Nowadays, she has help from neighbors, family, friends, and church members, but continues to do what she enjoys as much as possible.
“Now I have a friend who helps me decorate,” she said. “I pick stuff out and she puts it up. I hate having to have somebody else do things for me that I used to do, it’s embarrassing. But the Lord’s given me a good life. I can’t complain. I’ve had surgeries and illnesses from time to time, but always come out of it no problem at all. And the people in this community have been so good to me.”
Suzanne attended St. Mary Catholic School and graduated third in her class at Marietta High School. She enjoys keeping up with her classmates and helping those who are struggling when she can. Philanthropically, she is a big advocate for keeping the money at work right here in Marietta.
“Ed and I made the decision, quite a while ago, to leave money to Marietta Community Foundation, because they manage their money very well and they do a lot of good in this community,” she said. “I get a lot of requests for donations in the mail and on the phone, but it doesn’t help us to be giving to causes that are out of town. We wanted something that Marietta would benefit from, and we thought the Foundation was the best way to do that, so that’s why we have them in our will.”
Marietta Community Foundation works to improve Washington County through grants and initiatives. If you would like to establish a legacy that will last forever, please contact Heather Allender at 740-373-3286 or heather@mcfohio.org.