Susan M. Mazzella

Susan was born on June 13, 1947, to Howard and Margaret Hunter in Port Jefferson, New York. After Susan graduated from Bellport High School in 1965, she went on to earn her Associate’s degree at Suffolk Community College and then her Bachelor’s degree from Adelphi University.

Susan’s first career job was in sales at Metropolitan Life Insurance. It was in that field where one of her clients introduced her to her future husband, Salvatore Mazzella, at a family party. In 1976, Sal and Sue were married in Bellport, New York. They moved to Matawan, New Jersey and went on to have four children, Scott, Kerri, Patrick and Mary.

Susan was a huge lover of nature, bird watching, sailing and taking care of the local shore ecosystem. In the early late 1980s Sue was known for her environmental endeavors, which included the founding of the “Cheesequake Twelve” - a group of student activists who participated in the dolphin-safe tuna movement helping to end the careless seining of dolphins in commercial tuna fishing. She also started a non-profit environmental group on Long Beach Island called Kids for A Clean Ocean, which promoted environmental action and beach cleanups.

In time, Susan went on to earn her Master’s degree in Education from Georgian Court College followed by her doctorate in Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University. She was a Student Assistance Counselor (“S.A.C.”) in the South River and later Jackson Township school districts for many years, helping countless numbers of students cope with family trauma and addiction. Susan retired from public education in 2019. Susan was also an Adjunct Instructor at Georgian Court College from 2006-2007.

Susan was predeceased by Salvatore, her husband of 45 years, who passed in 2022, her parents Howard and Margaret Hunter and her brother James Hunter.

She is survived by Scott and Elizabeth Mazzella, Kerri Mazzella, Patrick and Mary Mazzella, and Mary and Peter Uzzolino, and her eight beloved grandchildren. Susan is also survived by her sister Margaret Hunter and her loving nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Brant Beach (LBI) on Tuesday, August 27th at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Tunnel to Towers, to honor Sue’s love and appreciation for our veterans and first responders, dogood.t2t.org.