Suzanne Elliott Robbins

Suzanne Elliott Robbins of Oklahoma City was born September 16,1933 in Alva, Oklahoma to Roscoe and Dorothy Elliott, and passed away December 21, 2024 at the age of 91. She was preceded in death by her first husband Jack W. Robbins of Oklahoma City and her second husband John H. Bonitz, Jr. of Hampstead, North Carolina.

She was born 40 years to the day after her grandfather Charles Elliott claimed land in the Cherokee Strip Run of September 16, 1893. She and her sister Katie still farm the land today. She spent her summers in Farnsworth, Texas helping her mother and father with the wheat harvest after the Alva wheat harvest. She learned to drive a farm truck when she was 9 years old so she could pick up her father at the end of day across the field.

Suzanne attended Camp Nagawicka in Wisconsin for two summers before college as a camper and then a counselor, and attended Lindenwood Women's College in St. Charles, Missouri for two years before transferring to the University of North Carolina where she graduated with a BA in Dramatic Arts. She starred in an outdoor drama “Horn in the West”, as well as “Dark of the Moon”, and “Mr. Roberts”. She also sang the lead in “Showboat” her senior year. She graduated in 1955 and came back to Oklahoma City to work at KWTV in the promotion department doing live commercials. She met the father of her 4 children, Jack W. Robbins, who was playing piano on a live stage there and married him in 1956. At age 65 after working as a travel agent for 15 years, she married her college sweetheart John H. Bonitz, Jr. and they lived happily together for 18 years on the beautiful Carolina coast. They hosted all of their children for 13 summers on the beach at Topsail Island, North Carolina and made many wonderful memories!

Mom was a golden arrow (lifetime member) of Pi Beta Phi, President of Junior Hospitality, President of the Women of Westminster, and a very accomplished Masters swimmer. She made lifetime friends everywhere she traveled, and she traveled all over the world!

She is survived by her sister Katie Davis of Oklahoma City, her son Chris Robbins and wife Michele of Evergreen, Colorado, son Mike Robbins and wife Toni of Nashville, Tennessee, daughter Jennifer Robbins-Blake and husband Scott of Claremore, Oklahoma and daughter Jill Robbins-DeShazer of Edmond, Oklahoma, as well as 9 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren who will all miss her very, very much. She was our family treasure!

The family would like to thank the numerous caregivers who so tenderly attended to mom in her home, the numerous doctors, nurses and therapists who worked with her, as well as her bible study women whom she adored. A memorial service for Suzanne will be Saturday, January 4, 2024 at 10:00am at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4400 N. Shartel Avenue in Oklahoma City. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Westminster Foundation or Free To Live Animal Sanctuary in Guthrie, Oklahoma.