SUSAN KAYE JONES
June 23, 1951–March 2, 2024
Susan “Suzo” Jones, 72, passed away in her sleep at the Tucson Medical Center in-patient hospice in Tucson, Arizona, during the late evening of March 2, 2024. During her last waking hours, she had been surrounded by her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. She also had been showered with flowers, cards, voicemails, and text messages too numerous to answer or even have read to her from friends and former students. She definitely knew she was loved.
Susan Kaye Scoggin was born June 23, 1951, in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, to Harry L. Scoggin and Edna P. (Youngberg) Scoggin. She attended country school for five years at the Government Canyon School north of Hulett, Wyoming. Her parents then bought a house in Belle Fourche where she finished her remaining K-12 school years and graduated from Belle Fourche High School with honors in 1969.
Of the places she worked in Belle Fourche, she was most fond of the time she worked at Cliff Thomas Drug. Several years later, she went to Black Hills State University in Spearfish and finished, again with honors, with a teaching degree.
Susan started her teaching career in Newcastle, Wyoming, in the fall of 1977. It was shortly after that when she met her future husband, Jim Jones. She married Jim in Belle Fourche on June 10, 1978.
She became one of the most dedicated teachers I’ve ever known. She was always in her classroom weeks before school started each new year and many weekends throughout the year to decorate her room at her own expense to make it a bright and enjoyable place for her students. She spent countless hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays grading writing papers in order to assure a fair grade, and to provide thoughtful comments to help students improve. I observed her have her time at home interrupted by students or parents calling or stopping by with questions. She always did her best to help with the concerns of the caller.
Susan’s teaching career spanned more than four decades. She taught junior high and middle school English for 32 years, retiring in 2009. She then helped as a substitute teacher at the middle school and high school until we bought our winter home in Tucson and spent our first winter in Arizona in 2019. During her years teaching she obtained her master’s degree from Leslie University in Boston, Massachusetts, by way of an extension program in Gillette. This allowed her to also teach college level English classes for Eastern Wyoming College. Susan loved being a teacher and she was a teacher to her last breath.
Susan loved our country and was truly proud to be an American. We took many long trips on our Harley, and she shared my love of 13 dogs and three cats over 46 years as my wife. Being a lover of music, we went to several dozen concerts ranging from Chuck Berry, George Strait, Don Williams, and John Anderson to Metallica and AC/DC, just to name a few.
The only thing more precious to Susan than her teaching career was her love and dedication to her family. I’ve enjoyed seeing her be a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother. I know that her biggest regret about her life when she became ill was that she would not be able to see her grandchildren grow up. She hoped to see their lives take shape, the way we have seen our son grow into a successful marriage and career and have such a beautiful family. These years of being mom and grandma have truly brightened her life, and I know she is eternally grateful for that.
Susan is survived by her husband, Jim of Newcastle; son, Josh, daughter-in-law, Lyndee (Wagner) Jones, grandson, Ryler Jones, and granddaughter Keyla Jones, all of Tucson, as well as many very special in-laws in the Wagner family of Rapid City; niece, Mary Jo (Scoggin) Curtis and nephew, Rett (Abbra) Scoggin of Belle Fourche; and numerous cousins.
Being a member of numerous organizations, she felt very close to many ladies. With the outpouring of love she has received from former students and fellow teachers, it is easy to feel that they are all family as well.
She was preceded in death by her parents; two older twin brothers, Larry Scoggin of Rapid City and Gary Scoggin of Texas; and younger brother, Daniel (Lena Hall) Scoggin of Gillette.
A celebration of life will be held 10 a.m., March 30, at the Crouch Auditorium in Newcastle. Memorial fund donations can be sent to Chapter X PEO, care of Betty Petranek, 133 Cedar St., Newcastle, WY 82701, or flowers can be sent to Meridian Mortuary.