Mrs. Suzanne Everett Blazovich

The indomitable spirit of Suzanne Everett Blazovich may have left this earth on December 11, 2022 in Cumming, Georgia - but the impact she left across the world is a testament to a life well-lived and well-traveled. Mary Suzanne Everett (Blazovich) was born in Hollywood, Florida on December 3, 1941 to Mary Adler Everett and Arthur Ernest Everett. The oldest of three, Suzanne learned at an early age to take charge, which gave her the confidence and agency for which she became famous the rest of her life. She was preceded in death by her husband, Michael Blazovich, her parents: Mary Adler Everett and Arthur Ernest Everett, and leaves behind a sister, Jill Flack (John) and a brother, John Everett (Brenda), 6 nieces/nephews and 16 grand nieces and grand nephews. She was the matriarch of the Everett family and helped train two generations to prepare the family’s most revered recipe, chicken & dumplings. Aunt Susu was the special sauce for so many of our family meals and holidays. Susu, as she was affectionately known, established friendships in Hollywood, FL that extended into her eighties. Over seventy years of stories, memories and trips. She began baton twirling when she was young and in 1959, she and her counterpart won the Florida State high school baton twirling duet championship. No surprise that Susu would become synonymous with glitz, glamor, sequins and style. A graduate of Florida State University in 1963 with a degree in Biology and a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She met her future husband, Michael Blazovich, who played football for FSU and would later be drafted to the New York Jets. Upon graduation, Suzanne became a Biology teacher but realized that was not her calling. She had recently bought a new car with her new teaching salary, but decided to move to New York to pursue a new career. So her younger brother, Jack, was the lucky recipient of a brand new 1963 Impala convertible. In 1965, Susu joined United Airlines as a flight attendant. She and Mike got married in 1967 but during this time, there was a no-marriage policy for female flight attendants and as a result, she was let go from United Airlines. In her resignation letter to United Airlines she noted “due to United Airlines company policy, I am forced to resign my position.” Suzanne & Mike eventually moved to Chicago and then ultimately settled in Glendale, California. Suzanne got her real-estate license and became a serious antiques collector. Mike and Suzanne threw beautiful parties and had a home filled with antiques and collectibles. Mike often said about their house, “our foundation is built on crystal and china”. While Susu was enjoying her life in California, a lawsuit against United Airlines began working its way through the courts. The Class Action lawsuit claimed United Airlines had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by requiring stewardesses, though not stewards, to remain unmarried as an employment condition. Suzanne signed on to be a plaintiff and when United claimed they had no record of Suzanne’s resignation letter, she promptly sent them a copy. She never threw anything away. In 1986 the Supreme Court heard the case and after 18 years, Susu was once again a United Airlines Flight Attendant. These re-hired flight attendants were referred to as “The McDonalds” - the name of the plaintiff from the lawsuit. She would go on to fly another 30 years. She often flew from LA to New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong. Such a professional, she made these long haul flights look like a piece of cake. She loved seeing other countries, meeting new people, discovering the cuisine and hunting for antiques. Her friends, antique dealers and favorite restaurants are scattered all over the globe. Susu retired from United in 2016 and spent the last years of her life in Alpharetta, GA living close to her family, helping the newly married grandnieces and nephews perfect their cooking, giving travel advice and never losing her sense of glamor. Susu meant the world to our entire family. She was the Aunt who supported dozens of nieces, nephews, their spouses, her grandnieces and grandnephews and with whom every person, from the oldest to the youngest, had a personal and intimate relationship. She was generous with her talents and showed her love through helping and guiding us. She gave advice whether we wanted it or not. Her love of nature would stop her in her tracks when she found the perfect four-leaf clover or wanted to admire the beauty of a single flower. She loved sparkly, glittery and shiny things. She always brought the fun. She forgave her brother after he wrecked her new car the first week she had it. So giving… she gave her high school aged nephew and his best friend her Porsche 911 and then proceeded to leave the country on a flight while they drove the Porsche to San Diego. The only rule was to not cross the border into Mexico. If we ever had a question on how to cook to impress, we called Aunt Susu. She was the cool Aunt. The Aunt with abundant jewelry, purple glasses and vintage clothes. A world traveler, flight attendant, bold and brave. Lover of art, music, and most importantly, a lover of all her grand nieces and nephews. Legendary California mission style house in Glendale, CA. Confident and adventurous with a liberal helping of self-reliance. She told you how it was and didn’t parse her words. She was rarely wrong… rarely. Her girlfriends spanned the globe from New Zealand to Switzerland to California. One of her favorite sayings was a Mark Twain quote: “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness.” There isn't a member of our family that hasn't had a delicious meal prepared by her hands, a sentimental gift given to us or a trip she didn’t help plan. The world has lost some of its sparkle but thankfully Aunt Susu left us with some of her glamor and her “joie de vivre”. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Suzanne’s name through their website at www.stjude.org or mail donations to: ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital / 501 St. Jude Place / Memphis, TN 38105.

Mrs. Suzanne Everett Blazovich

December 3, 1941 - December 11, 2022