Suzanne (Cowan) Zelkowitz (1943 – 2025) who lived a full life in Westport, CT, passed away on April 16 after a twenty-year struggle with Parkinson’s disease. She went peacefully with her sons Jeff and Matt at her side, enveloped by the loving words and presence of her granddaughters, family, friends and caregivers. She was an incredibly strong person. What a fighter.
Words were important to Suzy, as everyone called her. As a magazine editor for many years at numerous publications, she had a sharp eye for the out-of-place phrase or unclear sentence structure. Many reporters, students and authors have Suzy to thank for her thoughtful critiques that helped them perfect their writing.
Most of all, Suzy was devoted to her marriage to David Zelkowitz (1940 – 2012) and the life and family they built together. She married at age 19 and raised two children as an expat wife in Switzerland, where David was posted on business for thirteen years before they moved to Westport in 1982. Suzy looked forward to every family occasion – the Jewish festivals of Hanukkah and Passover, bnei mitzvahs, weddings — and took pride in the professional and personal accomplishments of those around her.
Living with Parkinson’s is hard, but for Suzy every day could be a celebration. Throughout her long illness, she was committed to two things: to remain in the house she loved, and to get out of the house as much as possible, around Westport and for leisure travel at home and abroad. Her constant outings to restaurants, the movies, coffee and walks on the beach with her friends, shopping for a new outfit or birthday gift, made her a fixture of local businesses. People in Westport came to recognize the elegantly dressed, exacting lady, aided by dedicated caregivers who were as tough as she was in advocating for her right to live life on her terms.
Suzanne Carol Cowan was born at the United States Coast Guard Hospital on Staten Island, NY, on June 5, 1943, to Natalie (Cohen) and Daniel Cowan, both professional musicians. She grew up in a tiny apartment on Metropolitan Avenue in Queens, NY. Suzy was a graduate of Forest Hills High School (despite never climbing the rope in PE class as required, which years later inspired an infamous prank letter), and earned her B.A. at City College of New York.
Suzy is survived by her sons Jeff (Peg) and Matt (Lia), her granddaughters Zoe (Austin), Mira, and Kate, her closest lifelong friend Lynn, and her loving team of caregivers led by her formidable friend Mirella.
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