Susan Leah Jackson-Smith was born on November 30, 1944, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Elisabeth Zeman and Glenn Smith, and she died peacefully on November 3, 2025. She is survived by her two children, Christine Caryl and John Ziemer, and her two grandchildren, Pearce and Rowan Ziemer.

Susan was a woman with a big heart who loved spending time with friends, family, and her pets. She always wanted to make sure people had what they needed and that they were taken care of — physically and emotionally. From an early age, she was active in women’s rights and environmental causes. She loved art and earned a bachelor's degree in art education. A creative spirit, she enjoyed weaving, knitting, jewelry-making, and many other forms of art.

Susan loved the outdoors throughout her life. As a child, she always wanted to be outside playing. As an adult, she loved to walk and hike — whether she was taking her dogs to a local park or exploring trails along the North Shore. She treasured the Pacific Northwest, especially the ocean, the ferries that would travel in the Puget Sound, and hiking in the mountains. Gardening also brought her joy; in her twenties she kept large vegetable gardens, and later in life she spent countless hours tending the flower and herb gardens around her home. Even toward the end of her life, she found peace sitting beside Lake Johanna.
 

Susan lived a life of adventure, leadership, and service across many places. After early childhood in Cincinnati and Chicago, her family settled in Minneapolis–St. Paul, where she later met and married Edward Ziemer. They lived in Milaca and then Grand Meadow, Minnesota, where they raised Christine and John. Although they later separated, Susan and Ed remained committed partners in parenting and stayed friends throughout their lives.

Susan later moved to the Seattle area, living in several communities including on Whidbey Island — a lifelong dream. In Washington, she led a women’s resource center that supported women transitioning from homemakers to the workforce, and she later worked as a chemical dependency counselor.

When she eventually returned to Minnesota, settling in Champlin with her mother Beth, she continued to lead and support others. She served as Director of Outreach for Anoka-Ramsey Community College and later worked in social services for many years, including leadership roles with the Red Cross’s First Call for Help and United Way’s Crisis Connection. She had a deep passion for connecting people to the resources they needed and believed strongly that all people should have access to basic necessities.

Susan loved computers and creating websites, which grew into a passion and eventually her own business helping people learn, troubleshoot, and feel confident using technology. She had a strong desire to help small businesses set themselves up on the internet. As her expertise grew, she was hired to run the IT department for Arthur Schuster’s interior design organization. She continued to love computers into her retirement and was always willing — and happy — to help anyone who asked for guidance.

Throughout her life, Susan faced many physical and mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, multiple autoimmune diseases, COPD, and she survived oral cancer. Her inner strength, along with the support from her family and friends, helped her navigate them and create a good life. It also gave her empathy for others who struggled.  She survived all of this with resilience and love. She was incredibly strong.

Over the years, Susan made lifelong friends and shared love, joy, laughter, sorrow, and challenges. She was strong, independent, fierce, and delightfully irreverent. She believed in natural consequences with a strong safety net, and she never turned anyone away who needed help. She loved to laugh and cherished having her friends close.

Susan had a large, generous heart and a deep love for the world. She will be profoundly missed.