Susie Claudette Reese was born on February 15, 1922 in Kenbridge, VA.
She was the tenth of the 13 children born to Blanche and John Reese.
Upon her graduation from Bloomfield High School, Susie was hired to work at the local Eastern Aircraft factory. It was during this period that she began her lifelong love affair with the man who became her adored husband of 38 years, George Channing Minniefield.
Susie and George were married at Union Baptist Church in Bloomfield on June
29, 1946. The newlyweds made their home on Orange Road in Montclair,
where they
welcomed the birth of their
only son, George (affectionately known as "Bootsie"). For a short time,
Susie worked at the Charms Candy Factory in Bloomfield. The Minniefields
joined Union Baptist Church, where Susie helped to establish the Young
Women's Guild auxiliary (YWG). She was elected its president, and it
was under her leadership that the YWG supervised and completed
the
renovation of the church kitchen. In 1954, the family settled into
their permanent home in Montclair, where their daughter,
Deborah Claudette was born.
Susie was style, class and elegance personified. The consummate hostess, she entertained often. Like her sisters, Susie enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as an exceptional cook, and she perfected her culinary skills by working for the family-owned catering firms, Reese Catering and Wood Caterers in her later years.
Susie passed away in August, 2005, the last survivor among the offspring of John and Blanche Reese. She was predeceased by her husband, George C. Minniefield, in 1984; her son, George M. Mininiefield, in 1996; her parents, John David Reese and Blanche Earl Crowder Reese; her seven sisters: Lucy Reese, Ida Crawley, Mary Goodman, Lola Wood, Grace Miles, Bessie Pinkard, and Thelma Henderson; and her five brothers: Harry, Herman, Rollin, Preston and Irvin Reese.
Her surviving descendants are her daughter, Deborah Minniefield and her grandson, Ross Channing Mitchell.
