Susie Muckle was not in the habit of letting obstacles stand in her way. She once gave her five-foot frame a lift to get the job done.
“She put extra supports in her shoes to meet the minimum height requirement that the Atlanta Police Department used to have for officers,” said Justin Muckle, a son from Atlanta. Susie Ann Browning-Muckle, of Atlanta, died at home Sept. 11 after a four-year battle with cancer. More commonly known as Susie Muckle, she was 64. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 1150 Westview Drive, Atlanta. Burial will immediately follow at Kennedy Memorial Gardens. Pollard Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
“She was a little lady, because she wasn’t very tall at all, but she had a big contagious smile,” said Loretta Walker, who attended The Bridge Church of God in Christ with Mrs. Muckle. “She never met a stranger and loved everybody like they were family.”
Family was fiercely important to Mrs. Muckle and she freely gave back to them, like her father did for her.
“My grandfather was a sharecropper and he put up all of his tools and equipment as collateral so my mom could buy her first home,” said Travis Lee, a son from Atlanta. “To make ends meet, for a year we ate nothing but rice and peas, peas and rice, peas and peas ... until one day she brought home steak and said, ‘We made it through that rough patch. Let’s eat some meat.’”
Mrs. Muckle worked as a police officer from 1974 until 1998, and also as a real estate agent at times, her sons said. When she died, Mrs. Muckle owned 18 properties that she rented out to families in need. She was relentless in trying to get people to invest in real estate.
“She’d say, ‘You have to provide for your family, you have to plan for your future,’” Mrs. Walker said. “I wish I’d listened to her when I first met her, but I’m taking heed now.”
Mrs. Muckle was known among her family and friends as woman with a big heart.
“It was almost too big for this world,” said Ella Thompson, a friend for more than 20 years. “She would just give and give to others.”
Ms. Thompson said some of Mrs. Muckle’s tenants couldn’t pay, and she allowed them to live in her properties rent free for a period of time.
“She wanted to help everybody,” Ms. Thompson said. “That’s what made it hard for her to be a police officer. When she was supposed to be arresting people, she was counseling them instead. She didn’t think arresting them was always the right answer.”
Mrs. Muckle’s desire to help as many people as she could often left family members worried. Her sons constantly asked her when she was going to do something for herself.
“Her answer was always, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” said Mr. Lee, paraphrasing one of his mother’s favorite Bible verses. “I called her ‘Susie Sheltering Arms,’ because her arms were always open. Always.”
Mrs. Muckle is also survived by her son Curtis Muckle of Atlanta, daughter Jaeda Muckle of Atlanta, two grandsons, four sisters and two brothers, among other family members.
About the Author
