Susan B. Davis

Susan Briggs Davis, a longtime resident of National Park, NJ, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2026. Susan was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1943 as the middle child to Eleanor Elizabeth Lott and William Briggs, Sr.

Susan grew up in the Cedar Park neighborhood of West Philadelphia in the same Victorian row house that her mother Eleanor had been raised in. The family home on Catherine Street was always full of people, music, laughs and love and was renowned for its fun and welcoming environment. The family hosted countless gatherings at the home and it served as a familiar, comforting homebase for the extended Lott and Briggs clans for more than half a century. At one point during Susan’s childhood, three generations lived in the home and she described that time as one of the happiest periods of her life. Being a teenager in Philadelphia in the 1950s was an exciting time, especially for music lovers, as it was the epicenter for youth culture and pop music. A highlight for Susan and her friends, siblings and visiting cousins was spending their afternoons after school rating new 'rock and roll’ records and dancing on the studio floor for the television show ‘American Bandstand’ which broadcast live every day from its original location at 45th and Market before relocating production to Hollywood in 1964.

Susan spent her early summers with her family at the historic Brandywine Summit Camp Meeting grounds in Chadds Ford, PA, where her grandparents owned a cottage and in Ocean City, NJ where her parents worked each summer at local restaurants. One summer in Ocean City when Susan was 12 years old, she was hit by a car while returning from the movies and suffered a severe broken leg which caused her to spend many months in the hospital and miss a full year of school. The hospital staff were originally going to amputate her leg, however, a nationally recognized orthopedic surgeon, who was attending a medical conference in nearby Atlantic City, was able to perform a new type of surgery that saved her leg. Susan said that the excellent care and attention she received from all of the talented and devoted medical staff during her long recovery sparked her interest in nursing.

Susan was an exemplary student and attended John Bartram High School and then received a Diploma in Nursing from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She also received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Thomas Jefferson University and, later in her career, a Master of Science in Nursing from Widener University. She worked as a nurse in hospital settings and as a visiting nurse, a clinical nursing instructor and managing and training teams of visiting nurses in the Philadelphia area and southern New Jersey throughout the almost 50 years of her professional nursing career. Her employers included the Philadelphia Department of Health and the Visiting Nurse Association of Gloucester County, NJ, Holy Redeemer Home Care, and she held adjunct teaching positions at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Widener University.

Susan had a deep love for animals and volunteered as a docent for the Philadelphia Zoo and with several animal rescue organizations. She doted on her many beloved Doberman rescues throughout her life and had a special place in her heart for cinnamon-colored ones. Susan was an avid reader and perennial season subscriber to several center city Philadelphia and local NJ theatres, which she enjoyed attending with friends during retirement. She also traveled extensively during her life, making frequent return trips to favorite destinations such as Egypt and Bermuda.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her brothers William Briggs, Jr. and Robert Briggs, Sr., and her nephew Robert Briggs, Jr. She is survived by her sisters-in-law, Nancy Briggs and Carolyn Briggs, as well as her nieces, Deborah Briggs, Amanda Briggs (Anthony Demangone), Kelly Cerf (Robert Cerf) and Rachel Briggs (Devin Oakes), and many great nieces and nephews.

Susan will be remembered for her quiet wisdom, calm demeanor and down-to-earth sensibility, as well as her loyalty and generosity to her friends and family. She will also be loved and remembered by the many patients she cared for and the hundreds of nurses she inspired, taught and mentored over the years.

The family would like to extend their immense gratitude to the doctors, nurses and care teams of the Inspira Health Network, Cooper University Hospital of Camden and Autumn Lake at Carney’s Point. With their attentive care, our beloved ‘Aunt Sue’ had a joyful and fulfilling final year of life.

A memorial luncheon to honor Susan’s life will be held at the New Castle Presbyterian Church’s Christian Education Building in New Castle, DE on October 17th from 11am to 1pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Philadelphia Zoo.