Suzanne Louise Stafford

Suzanne Louise Stafford passed away peacefully at her home in Granville on January 15, 2025. Suzanne chose cremation with no funeral service. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date, She was preceded in death by her parents, Willie Comer Clemons and Alice Bernice (St. George) Clemons. The first child of Willie and Alice Clemons was Sandra Lee Clemons, who was born June 24, 1939 and died October 1, 1939.

Surviving immediate family members include her husband of 52 years, Bobby Ray Stafford; brothers Bobby Clemons (wife Doris) and John Frederick Clemons (wife Laura); and her daughter from a previous marriage, Matilda Denise Mahaney, whose father was Wayne Mahaney, a former Jackson County Sheriff. Other surviving family members include nieces Patty Kuykendal (husband Lee), and Leslie Buck. Also surviving are cousins Jack Wagman (wife Niela) who live in Florida, and Janice Wagman, who lives in Detroit, Michigan.

Suzanne's husband's brothers, (David, Mike, Rick, and Randy), and his sisters (Patricia, Diane, and Linda), also survive. There is also a host of nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Suzanne loved life in all its aspects: she loved work and play seemingly equally. She had many jobs throughout life. She started as a secretary for a local attorney, and after Bobby returned to finish a career in the Army, she worked in various administrative positions in stateside Army posts and in Europe. She was uniformly popular with both her supervisors and her coworkers because of her exceptional ability and her cheerful attitude, and was often selected for promotion faster than competitors.

Perhaps the greatest enjoyment of her time working for the Army was the opportunity to travel throughout Europe. She marveled at the natural beauty and the historic castles and palaces, and has left behind dozens of photograph binders of the places she visited. She also loved learning about the customs and local food. Suzanne often said that she had never dreamed of seeing the places and doing the things she did as a result of being an Army wife.

After Bobby retired from the Army, Suzanne resumed working back home in Tennessee. She worked as a transcriber of nurses' medical notes in Cookeville, and retired from the former Jackson County Bank, starting as a teller, then getting promoted to the bank branch in her Hometown of Granville. When the branch closed, she returned to work in the main bank location until her retirement.

Suzanne had always been a cheerful volunteer, and after her retirement she occupied much of her time doing that. She served on the Board of Directors for the Granville Museum, and volunteered her time and talents in the Granville and Gainesboro United Methodist Churches, and was in fact a member of both of those churches. She especially liked to help the elderly and infirm, and she volunteered with the Jackson County Branch of the Agriculture Extension Service, making her famous desserts and helping to deliver them to shut-ins. Even as her own mobility flagged, she continued to bake until her final health decline.

It would be impossible to thank everyone by name who helped Suzanne and Bobby during her final health battle, but some people went beyond the call of duty, and Bobby will be thanking them personally in time for the cards, phone calls, food, doing chores that Bobby could not get to, and expressions of support.

Anderson Upper Cumberland Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.  931-268-1550