‘Ms. Sue’ exemplified what we hope, expect from those who serve the public

Published 2:54 pm Thursday, September 19, 2019

This week, the city of Vicksburg said goodbye to Sue Roberts, an employee who graced the offices and walkways in city hall for more than 40 years before her death last week.

As an administrative assistant to city leaders over those decades, Roberts had a front-row seat to the growth, development and struggles the city experienced since her first day on the job in December 1977.

Diagnosed with cancer in 2010, which eventually turned into a terminal diagnosis and her death, Roberts continued to show up to work and serve the residents of Vicksburg until her final days.

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For those who worked with her and knew her, she was “Ms. Sue.” For those who contacted her for information, or help with the city, she was cordial, congeal and supportive.

There have been employees who have worked for the city of Vicksburg for decades, many of them leaving their mark in their own, special way. But, the mark Sue Roberts left on Vicksburg is indelible. It is set in the very foundation of what we hope and expect from those who serve the public each and every day.

Wednesday, with flags lowered around the city in her honor, city leaders and employees said goodbye to their colleague and friend during a memorial service.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen dedicated Wednesday as Sue Roberts Day in Vicksburg and have renamed the city’s senior citizen program in her honor. Those are fitting tributes and honors richly deserved.

We applaud the city of Vicksburg for honoring Roberts, but those accolades and proclamations cannot properly reflect the impact she had on those she worked with and those she interacted with.

For years, Roberts came to work each day, sometimes in excruciating pain in her fight with cancer, but you never would have known it from the way she went about her job, her responsibility and her calling as a public servant.

To say “Ms. Sue” will be missed is an understatement, but the example she set and the impact she made on the lives of so many will long be remembered.