Susan Louise (Zacker) Fox was born January 26th, 1952 in Los Angeles, CA to Lawrence F. Zacker and Geraldine M. (Pellerin) Zacker and passed gracefully into eternity with her Lord and Savior on June 15th, 2011, in Charlotte, NC at the age of 59.
Susie was raised in San Diego, CA and attended Saint Agnes School and Point Loma High School. Susie moved South Lake Tahoe, CA in the early 1970’s. She married John Carter in March of 1977 and they had a son, Jacob John Carter. A few years after they divorced she became a Christian and joined the Church of Glad Tidings (now Lake Tahoe Christian Fellowship). While attending Church of Glad Tidings, she met James Brian Fox. Jim and Susie married in March of 1982. Susie worked with the children of church through drama, worship and dance. Susie started a home day care named Kids of the Kingdom in 1981 which she ran for 28 years. In 1989 the family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to join a church in the Berkeley area which had been started a year earlier by other Glad Tidings church families. Around that time, Susie and Jim adopted Krissy who had been their foster child for a year and a half. Krissy worked in the day care when she got older and now runs her own home day care in Pleasant Hill, CA. Susie ran the home day care in the following cities as the family moved in the 90’s: Richmond, El Cerrito, Lafayette and Walnut Creek.
In August of 2009 Susie retired from day care and Jim retired from Raley’s. They moved to South Carolina to be near her son Jake and his family who had moved there the prior year. In the months leading up to the move, she began to have trouble breathing and a few months after arriving in SC, was taken to the hospital with a collapsed lung. She was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer that had spread to the lungs. This began an 18 month battle which she fought bravely with Faith and determination. Her final 10 days were spent at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte where she received the highest quality care the family could have hoped for. Her final weeks were a mix of emotions, enjoying a visit from her daughter Krissy and finding out that three weeks of radiation had destroyed three tumors found in her brain only to be faced with the reality that the months of fighting the cancer had taken a toll and weakened her lungs to a point her body could no longer sustain her earthly existence. Her final complete sentence was “I Love You” to her son Jake and although she did not have enough strength left to speak in her final two days, she smiled big and her face lit up as she ever so lovingly gazed at her husband of 29 years, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters.
Susie leaves behind her husband Jim Fox of Lancaster, SC; son Jake Carter, his wife Katie Carter and their daughters Kylene and McKayla of Indian Land, SC; daughter, Krissy Trevino and her husband Kris of Pleasant Hill, CA; step-mother, Beverly Zacker of Nehalem, OR; sisters Kathy Collins of Las Vegas, NV and Laurie Zacker of Nehalem, OR; brothers, Mike Zacker of San Diego, CA, Joseph Zacker of Sequim, WA, Lawrence Zacker Jr. of Pismo Beach, CA; step-siblings Michael Haworth of El Cajon, CA and Shelly Atencio of Canyon Lake, CA.
Susie was preceded in death by her father and mother; brothers, Patrick and Jack; sisters, Marsha and Deanna.
Susie is remembered as a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend and “Teacher Susie” to thousands of young children who were under her care during three decades of her dedication to helping build the foundations of their education and love for God.
A journal covering her battle with cancer was kept by her son Jake at the following website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/susiefox
