Deanna "Sue" Livingston

Leaving Mississippi a better place, Deanna Sue Livingston, 81, of Pearl died Wednesday, August 21, at Merit River Oaks Hospital in Flowood following a years-long battle with breathing and heart issues.

Memorial funeral services are set for Tuesday, August 27, at 11a.m.from Eastside Baptist Church in Pearl. Early arrivals are invited to share memories and fellowship.

Sue was blessed to have enjoyed a 56 year-long marriage to Aubert Cohn Livingston, the love of her life. The couple were founding members of Eastside Baptist Church in Pearl where he served as deacon, and she sang in the choir. One of Sue’s greatest joys was serving and worshiping with her fellow church members. They were the proud parents of Cindy Jo and Cohn who accompanied them to church and were baptized there. Sue took great comfort in the promises of Psalm 91.

Sue was preceded in death by her beloved husband Aubert, her precious daughter Cindy Jo, and her parents. She is survived by her son Cohn Livingston and his wife Amanda of Brandon, along with their three children Kinsley, Swayze, and Asa, Sue’s precious grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother Tony Dilmore and his wife Mary of Brandon; two sisters, Charlotte Davis and her husband Patrick of Morton and Dorothy “Dottie” White of Brandon; nieces, nephews and legions of Mississippi Democrats.

Born June 1, 1943, in Morton, Sue was the daughter of the late Floyd Martin Dilmore and Mrs. Alma Richardson Dilmore. She was the eldest of five children with two brothers and two sisters. The family lived on a farm in Polkville where they raised vegetables, chickens, pigs, a cow and a dog. She was proud of the fact that they thrived in a house with a fresh water well, an outhouse with a concrete floor, and no electricity until she was in second grade. Not surprisingly, Sue made straight A+’s throughout her time in school.

Some of her favorite memories involved her grandfather Ransom Richardson who took her to school and was there when she was baptized at Beulah Baptist Church. On the walk home from her baptism, Sue said she felt like she could fly with Jesus. Today she is doing just that.

Sue had a servant’s heart. Although she had been homebound for a number of years, she did not stop making sure that the Democrats of Mississippi and especially Rankin County were organized and working hard. As a Yellow Dog Democrat, she believed that was her job.

Sue worked to make her home state the best it could be -- organizing, supporting, strategizing, directing, occasionally showing her steel backbone, and charming her subjects with her sparkling smile and infectious laugh. Those who were blessed to be coached by Sue learned not only how to effectively move voters, but also how to stand up for their principles, organize their efforts, and make sure they did it all with class. The many who listened succeeded in helping their fellow Mississippians – Sue’s ultimate goal.

She considered the passage of House Bill 874 during the 2014 legislative session to be a crowning achievement. This measure prohibits any person who has been convicted of a state or federal crime to serve on any party executive committee in Mississippi.

Sue was an artist and a noted photographer who chronicled events and shared prints with those she captured on film. Among her subjects were Governors Bill Waller, Cliff Finch, Bill Allain, William Winter, Ray Mabus and Ronnie Musgrove; Treasurer Marshall Bennett; President Joe Biden as Senator; other state officials; attendees to national conventions; and Democratic team members from all over the state. There was hardly a Democratic gathering for over 35 years that Sue didn’t document. Her work is treasured by those fortunate enough to have been in front of her camera.

Until her health prevented it, Sue was a member of the Rankin County Democratic Executive Committee, the State Democratic Executive Committee, the Rankin County Federation of Democratic Women, and the state federation. She had been a delegate to numerous National Democratic Conventions and was tuned in to the 2024 event as long as she could be.

Sue described her life like this: “I have climbed the mountains, walked in the valley – fell off the cliff into the raging waters and crashed on the rocks of life. God never left me – I have accomplished many things and been gifted more than I can explain.”

If there is anything that can be said of Deanna Sue Livingston it is this: “She made a difference in this world.”

Let the butterflies fly.