Suzanne Zeigler Elrod

Raised in Jacksonville, Florida, she came to Charlotte as a young woman in the early 1960’s. Charlotte became her life-long home, the place where she met and married her husband Stan, raised her sons Zane and Aaron, and nurtured her grandchildren Tyler, Benjamin, Bailey, and Kathryn. She gave her tireless energy to her family, her friends, her community, and her many talents.

Stan and Sue centered their lives around each other, their faith, and their family. Elrod Construction, the company they built together, helped create some of Charlotte’s most iconic neighborhoods, including Quail Hollow, Foxcroft, Montibello, and Morrocroft.

The adventurous spirit Stan and Sue shared took them around the world, and included kayaks, snowmobiles, rafts, trains, and Stan’s beloved Piper Cherokee, N3982Whiskey.

Sue was a gifted artist. Her oil paintings reflected the many ways she saw beauty in the world, including places where she traveled and places close to home, people she loved, and an eclectic range of landscapes, objects, and faces that captured her imagination.

She cared deeply about the well being of “critters” including several generations of Boykin Spaniels, the wild animals who inhabited the amazing property she cultivated on Sharon Hills Road, and cats of many persuasions, most especially her late in life rescue kitty Fin. She was a founder of Animal Rehabilitators of Charlotte, now known as the Animal Rehabilitators of the Carolinas.

A breast cancer survivor, she spent many years volunteering with The American Cancer Society, advocating on behalf of women going through breast cancer treatment.

Sue loved sunflowers. She was formidable at the bridge table. Nothing about her was pretentious. The people she loved always had her full attention.

Suzanne Zeigler Elrod was born on June 15,1940, the youngest of three daughters. Her father, Albert Zeigler, was a senior executive with The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company; her mother, Katherine (Norton) Zeigler, managed the home.

Sue was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years and 11 days Stanley Ridgeway Elrod, Jr. She is survived by her sons Zane (Allison Craig Elrod) and Aaron (Wyn Wheeler Elrod), grandchildren Tyler Elrod (Kylee Majista Elrod), Benjamin Elrod (Ashley Revales Elrod), Bailey Elrod, and Kathryn Elrod, and great-grandchildren Wilhelmina Elrod and Theodore Elrod.

A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, February 6th, 2026 at The Sharon, 5100 Sharon Rd in Charlotte, beginning at 3:00 pm.

Gifts in memory can be made to the ARC and the Humane Society of Charlotte.