Virginia S. Deege

During the early morning hours of June 27th, Heaven welcomed a special Angel as Virginia Sue Stewart Deege passed through the gates into her Lord’s arms where she was also greeted by rejoicing family members and friends. Sue was born in Talladega, Alabama on December 24th, 1936, to Katherine Haddock. She resided in Jacksonville, Florida for almost eighty years and was a 1955 graduate of Andrew Jackson High School. While in high school she was a member of the National Honor Society and was the Editor of her senior yearbook. Soon after graduation she married Robert Lanier, also of Jacksonville, and in 1957 gave birth to her son, Barry. Sue and Robert resided in the Arlington suburb of Jacksonville and were founding members of Terry Parker Baptist Church. In 1963, due to Robert’s career promotion, the family relocated to Northwest Indiana until 1973 when she and Barry moved back to Jacksonville. Sue began her career with Packaging Corporation of America located in Griffith, Indiana as the office manager. After relocating back to Jacksonville, she was employed by the Florida Senate serving as a local Senator’s Aide. After leaving her state position, she was employed by Northwestern Mutual as an Associate Agent. She completed her 20 plus year career with Barnett Bank, which later became Bank of America as an executive assistant where she made many close friends who she continued to stay in contact with. Helping others was very important to her as she volunteered many hours with the Pace Center for Girls tutoring young girls to improve their reading and writing skills. She was very popular with the girls who affectionally referred to her as “Miss Sue”. She was also a past member of the Jacksonville Uptown Civitan Club and was a passionate advocate for her local Humane Society. Her love for music was evident by the many years she sang in the church choir and derived much joy playing the organ. Anytime you walked into her home you could hear music playing on her radio. During her earlier years the beach was her favorite place to spend her free time with her girlfriends and later with her young son. In her later years she loved watching the Hallmark channel, and her TV never wandered off that channel. The morning after the passing of her husband, a mother cat abandoned four kittens on her porch which she loved and cared for their entire life. These kittens provided her comfort at a difficult time and were great companions to her during their lifetime. The Lord does work in mysterious ways. The stray cats in the neighborhood knew they could always find food and fresh water waiting for them outside her door. At one time she was caring for as many as seven strays in addition to her four fur babies. From the time she was a little girl she had a special place in her heart for God’s creatures. Sue is survived by a son, Barry Lanier (Lynn) and three grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and a great great grandchild. She is also survived by cousins and many dear friends. She is pre-deceased by her loving parents Katherine and E.C. Haddock, Jr. and husbands Robert Lanier and Vernon Deege. If you wish to make a memorial contribution in Sue’s name, please consider the Jacksonville Humane Society or Jacksonville Pace Center for Girls or Franklin Street Baptist Church, 2521 Franklin St., Jacksonville, Fl 32206. The Christmas season was Sue’s favorite time of the year and she had a small Christmas tree in her room throughout the year whose lights, like her spirit and courage, never dimmed. She enjoyed visiting Evergreen Cemetery during the Christmas season and seeing all the colorful holiday flowers on the graves. A Celebration of Life and graveside service, where she will be interned next to her Mother, will be held on December 12th at 2:00 at the Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville. When entering the cemetery, please follow the directional signs. Susie Mozolic of Bevis Funeral Home is assisting the family with their arrangements. (www.bevisfh.com or 850-385-2193)

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Virginia S. Deege

December 24, 1936 - June 27, 2026