Ann “Suzie” Pitt Carollo died on October 19, 2020 at Delta Regional Medical Center surrounded by her loving family.
Suzie was born in Memphis, Tennessee on May 28, 1945. She was the only child of Gus and Ann Pitt but found six “sisters” in her cousins, the Reid girls. While attending school in Leland, MS, she loved playing the French Horn, waterskiing, and dancing. Suzie graduated from Mississippi State College for Women (now MUW) and married her one and only love, Bobby, in 1967. For the next 50 years they made homes in Little Rock, St. Louis, Raleigh, San Francisco, and Clearwater, Florida, returning home to Leland this past year. (She spent 35 years in Clearwater teaching countless Floridians that there really was life west of Tallahassee.)
She was the perfect combination of two of Leland’s most distinct characters. Like her mother, she strongly believed in giving back to her community through work with charitable organizations. Suzie was a longtime member of the Association of Junior Leagues and spent two decades working with the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation, where she was honored as Volunteer of the Year. Like her daddy, she lived loud, told big stories (usually in the kitchen), and loved outdoor adventures.
Suzie had a quick wit and an amazing sense of humor. She was loved by all for her unique, authentic, and empathetic self, both strongly opinionated and unapologetic about her beliefs.
As an extroverted introvert she usually chose intimate gatherings or coached her favorite sports teams from her kitchen stool. She lived with the lifelong burden of being everyone’s favorite person to talk to at a party. And she carried that southern hospitality of the Mississippi Delta to every state she lived – her mother would have been so proud.
She was happiest when teaching her grandkids about the natural world, collecting treasures like seashells on the beach, knocking out a daily crossword puzzle, or watching a good thunderstorm. We will miss our Suzie, our Suz, our Yozie, and our Shu Shu. In one word, Suzie was inimitable, and the world has truly lost a light.
Suzie is preceded in death by her parents, Ann and Gus Pitt, and is survived by her adoring husband of 53 years, Bobby, and their four children; daughters Ann (Tony) Elliott, Cat (Tripp) Walker, Liz (Mike) Rezny, son Ray (Elizabeth Roosevelt) Carollo and grandkids, Jake, Grace, Tyler, Britton, McKenna, John Robert, Silas and Hazel.
In lieu of flowers, the Carollo family is creating the Suzie Pitt Carollo Scholarship Fund to be awarded annually to a Leland High School senior who has demonstrated a commitment to improving lives. Suzie was a champion for equal rights and access and believed all youth should have the possibility of a promising future.
Contributions should be sent to:
Trustmark Bank
c/o Drew McGahey
PO Box 777
Greenville, MS 38702
Boone Funeral Home, Leland is in charge of local arrangements. Memorial services will be held at a later date.