Susanna Bridy Winters

She was born in Mount Carmel, PA, on February 12, 1943. Susanna was a healer and compassionate caregiver. As a child, she helped care for her younger siblings. She graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School, in Harrisburg, PA, and later went on to graduate as valedictorian of her nursing school class at Saint Joseph’s School of Nursing, in Lancaster, PA. Later in life she earned a Master’s Degree in Speech Communication from North Carolina State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She led a life of service, working at Columbia Hospital in New York City and later caring for injured Vietnam War soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, DC. In Raleigh, NC, she worked at Wake Medical Center, Drug Action of Wake County, Rex Hospital, and Dorothea Dix Hospital.

Susanna captured time and again the beautiful and mysterious healing power that one human being can have over another through the mere act of caring. She combined her impressive intellect with an unmatched empathetic nature. One of her most consequential achievements as a healer was when she led the nursing staff for the first therapeutic mall in the country that combined civil and forensic patients at Dorothea Dix Hospital. She modeled a total acceptance of where the patients were at any given time. Susanna fiercely advocated for individuals with mental illness in her decades at Dorothea Dix Hospital and in her tireless work with NAMI. In addition, she advanced liberal causes with her efforts in the Democratic Party.

Susanna recognized that much of life’s vagaries cannot be “cured.” However, with her steadfast faith, she offered the healing touch. She opened herself to both triumph and failure—to “rejoice with them that do rejoice,” as the Apostle Paul advised the Romans, “and weep with them that weep.” Susanna has been a companion in both suffering and healing for so many.

Susanna is survived by her two sons, John and Noel, in Raleigh, NC., six sisters and four brothers, loving in-laws, beloved nieces and nephews, dear cousins and many devoted friends! She was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Stella Bridy, a brother John Bridy, and her sister, Janet Bridy. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to NAMI, 309 West Millbrook Rd., Suite 121, Raleigh, NC, 27609 or a cause close to your heart.

A memorial service is rescheduled for Friday, May 13, 2022, at 2:00 PM to celebrate her life with friends and family. The memorial service will be held at the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, NC.

The internment of her ashes will take place this summer, in Mount Carmel, PA, at a time to be specified later.