Born Susanna Dixon, the youngest of four, in Muncie, IN, “Suzy” excelled in music and gymnastics (Indiana state champion parallel bars) at Burris Laboratory School. She enrolled at Georgetown University School’s of Foreign Service, as one of a very few women in her undergraduate class. Upon graduation she worked on Capitol Hill, then entered law school, returning again to Georgetown as one of ten women in a class of 120 in the Law School’s Night Division. There she met the love of her life, Stuart Herro, a fellow lawyer-in-training. They married on August 12, 1972 and shortly thereafter dashed off for a year-long, life-changing adventure in Argentina before moving to Madison, where they finished law school and started a family.

Susanna was proud to keep her law degree and practice in her own way while raising four children. She stressed education, independence, and travel throughout their childhoods and never quit traveling herself. The adventures she and Stuart went on included: Europe, India, much of South America, several African countries, Canada and Mexico. In fact, she and Stuart even had a trip booked to Antarctica for next year!

Susanna found great joy in music and dancing. She sang in multiple church groups and choirs, sang for many funerals, and long held a dream of forcing her kids into curtain-clothing to recreate The von Trapp Family Singers from “The Sound of Music.” That dream never materialized but many of her other dreams did! One of those fulfilled dreams was to sing in Lithuanian in the State Capitol, honoring her father and his Lithuanian ancestors. Susanna honored her mother by serving as President of her mother’s family business, Beckett Bronze, from the early 1990s until Susanna’s passing.

Susanna also loved ballroom dancing. Since Stuart wasn’t much of a dancer, the would-be lawyers loved to say that, as part of their marriage contract, Susanna would learn to play golf if Stuart would learn to dance. Both fulfilled their contractual obligations, but Susanna was more successful than Stuart.

Another love of hers was tennis and getting her knees replaced a few years ago brought her storming back to the courts after a brief absence. When not on the tennis court at John Powless Tennis Center, Susanna could regularly be found in her beautiful garden, employing her Master Gardener training for hours on end.

For decades she served on boards of directors (often as Chair or President) in various non-profit entities including: Wisconsin Right to Life, St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation, Diocese of Madison Catholic Charities, National Catholic Partnership on Disabilities, Sinsinawa Dominican Sponsor's Council, Madison Catholic Women’s Club, Agrace Hospice Foundation, and Edgewood Campus School Advisory Board, among others. For decades she led the annual Mother’s Day Rose Project throughout Dane County and at her church, Blessed Sacrament. Susanna worked for the Madison Diocese, as Director of Justice and Pastoral Outreach, where she oversaw 28 different programs. She loved to tell friends: “I love my job. I get to give away other people’s money to do good!”

No summary of Susanna’s life would be complete without highlighting her deep Catholic Faith. In 2001 she was honored by being named a Dame of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Catholic Order that supports education and provides humanitarian aid to residents of the Holy Land. But Susana would likely argue her Faith was best shown in the small, unnamed actions she took: organizing food pantries, aiding the sick, as well as delivering the Eucharist and comfort to those who might otherwise be overlooked.

Unfortunately, she was taken too early from us when she suffered multiple strokes this year. She was surrounded by family, friends, and caregivers through it all.

She leaves behind her husband, Stuart, and four children: Christian (Liz), Ed (Whitney), Maria (Jason), and Alana (Kevin), as well as six grandchildren. Her brothers, Steve (Kay) and Leon (Jan) will also miss her and still call her “Suzy” because little sisters never stop being your little sisters. Susanna was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Jo Ann (Beckett) Dixon, her sister Betty Lessnau, and her nephews Ethan Dixon and Michael Dixon.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 7pm Friday, May 15 at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Road in Madison. A mass of Christian burial will be held at 1pm at Blessed Sacrament, 2121 Rowley Ave. Madison, on Saturday, May 16. A visitation will be held from 12:00pm until the time of mass. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests you instead donate to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Madison (https://catholiccharitiesofmadison.org/donate/), the Women’s Care Center – Madison (https://supportwomenscarecenter.org/donate/), or Babies & Beyond of WI, Inc. (https://babiesandbeyondwi.org/donations/financial) If you prefer, spend that money seeing the world as Susanna would have wanted. Consider Antarctica!

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

3610 Speedway Road Madison

(608) 238-3434