Carolyn "Susie" Brauch Jackson

Carolyn "Susie" Brauch Jackson went to be with her Lord on Sunday, March 2, 2025. She was born August 4, 1943 in Nashville, TN, the daughter of Gilbert Martin Frederick and Eunice Mohrman Brauch. She is survived by her husband of 58 years William McIver Jackson, her son Scott McIver Jackson and his wife Julie, their children McIver, Charles, and Myers, her daughter Diane Jackson Britt and her husband Cliff, and their daughters Elizabeth and Caroline. Also, surviving Susie are her sister Betty Brauch Hilliard of Greensboro and her brother Gilbert Martin Frederick Brauch, Jr. and wife Annie of Hickory, their daughters Debra Starnes and Donna Lee and their families. She is also survived by her Swedish exchange student sister, Karin Tallroth Dorring and her husband Hans of Sweden and France.

Susie graduated from South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, NC, where she was the head cheerleader. She attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics.

After college, Susie was an award-winning Systems Engineer with IBM in Washington, DC where she met her husband, Bill. With the birth of children, Susie stopped her business career to be a full-time wife and mother. She loved those responsibilities and carried them out beautifully with grace and devotion. She adored her grandchildren and was a wonderful grandmother.

Susie brought her loving heart and caring leadership skills to Raleigh in 1974. In all the groups she joined she found herself caring enough that she became the group leader. She joined Bible Study Fellowship to learn more about the Lord and the Bible; she ended up spending 15 years there in leadership positions. At White Memorial she became a member of the bereavement committee for almost 50 years. She sang in the Witness to the Resurrection Choir for over 40 years. She taught 4th grade Sunday school and served as a receptionist every other Thursday for nearly 50 years. Susie was a leader of the Wedding Guild, providing loving service during those special events. She was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in the Presbyterian Women, the highest recognition for her devoted service. She accepted gracefully many difficult tasks, providing her organizational and leadership skills, her grace, and good humor and fun!

Susie was asked to become a deacon; she served with such devotion she was asked to become the leader. Susie was the first woman to chair the board of Deacons at White Memorial. When Stephen Ministry came to White Memorial in 1989, Susie was in the first class of caregivers. After years of dedicated service, she became a leader in Steven Ministry for several more years. Susie went on a mission trip to Russia; when she returned she became the head of the Russia Mission Committee. As an elder, she was a co-leader of a major mission campaign which provided funds for Russian mission partners to build a new facility that serves the Christian churches in the Smolensk area and provides a Christian camp for children in the summer. Turning her attention to senior adults, Susie planned and led multi-day and night trips for senior adults for over 20 years, ranging from Pennsylvania to Florida. Susie joined the Presbyterian Women Circle at Springmoor Retirement home bringing the church to the retired ladies there. She became the leader and served there for 20 years until she herself became a retired lady at a retirement home. In 2000 Susie inherited her grandmother's cast iron lamb cake mold. She made scores of beautiful lamb cakes over the next 24 years for family and friends. She always brought a brightly decorated lamb cake to the church, showing her love and appreciation for the church staff. Susie treasured the time she spent with her children and then grandchildren decorating lamb cakes and telling them about lambs that followed the Good Shepherd then later about the Lamb of God who took away our sins. Susie also made butterfly cakes for grieving families. Just as God made it possible for caterpillars to become beautiful butterflies, through Christ all believers have a new transformed life - both on this earth and in heaven.

Today Susie has followed the Good Shepherd to the green pastures that she told her children about and has been transformed from an earthly body to a heavenly one. She died while beautiful music was playing at the church service on Transfiguration Sunday. That day commemorates the time when the disciples got a glimpse of the glorified Christ. Now Susie is in the presence of the one she followed so faithfully with her wonderful life.

Susie lived her faith in very personal ways, as well. In times of crisis she was present to provide support. She visited the sick, took meals to the ailing, called on the homebound, and comforted bereaved - especially with her special "Butterfly" Cake. Her bright smile and warmth brought life and joy to all she met.

Susie herself wrote these words: "And finally, three things I would like to have said about me are: 1. I hope I lived so people would know of my deep abiding faith in God; and that because of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for me, I have begun to experience eternal life even here on earth, and I look forward to the glory of it in God's presence in Heaven!! 2. I love and cherish my family - I have experienced joy and fulfillment in being a wife, mother and grandmother!! I am thankful that God allowed me to be a part of your lives, and that He blessed me richly by allowing each of you to be a part of mine!! And 3. I hope something I did may have made life a little brighter for someone else!!!

Susie's life and faith will be celebrated on Monday, March 10 at 2pm at White Memorial Presbyterian Church, and the family will receive friends at the church following the service.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations are welcome in Susie's loving memory to White Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1704 Oberlin Rd., Raleigh, NC 27608.

Arrangements by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, 831 Wake Forest Rd., Raleigh.