It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Suzanne Jacqueline (Jacki) Zipes, age 89. Jacki passed away peacefully on June 7th, at home and surrounded by family.

Jacki was born, March 22, 1936, to her parents Robert and Josephine Zipes. She grew up in Pleasantville, New York, with her younger siblings, Douglas and Marilynn. Jacki left Pleasantville when she married Franklin Tillman in 1956. Most recently, she resided in Monroe Township, New Jersey.

After marriage, Jacki and Frank moved to Fort Lee, NJ, and welcomed their first son, James. Shortly thereafter, they relocated to what was then Levittown, NJ (now Willingboro) where they welcomed their second son, Richard.

Jacki was a woman possessed of many talents and passions. After high school, she worked as a seamstress for Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan. At Bergdorf she developed the skills to be able to design and sew her designs from scratch. She was a lifelong lover of music. Her love of opera was well-known, and she referred to everything else as “cacophony,” which was consistently repeated whenever her boys played jazz or rock ‘n’ roll. She studied voice and opera in New York City with aspirations to perform, and she put her vocal talents to use with the Philadelphia Opera Company singing in productions of Madame Butterfly, The Magic Flute, Aida, and Gianni Schicchi.

As her kids grew, Jacki volunteered for the local SPCA and returned to school to continue her education. She graduated from Trenton State College with an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and began working for the Burlington County Probation Department. Jacki continued her education to achieve a Master of Social Work, and further, her doctorate in Psychology. She spent several decades operating her own practice, Associates for Life Enhancement in Margate, NJ, from which she retired a few years ago.

Jacki is survived by her two sons and their families: James R. (Janet) Tillman of Blue Bell, PA, and Richard G. (Lynn) Tillman of Millstone Township, NJ; Grandchildren Kymberly T. (Amged) Saif of Millstone Township, NJ, Justin R. (Carly) Tillman of East Brunswick, NJ, Robert J. Tillman of Millstone Township, NJ and Melissa L. Tillman of Blue Bell, PA; and her three great-grandchildren, Leona, Hudson, and Marina Saif. She is also survived by her brother Dr. Douglas P. (Joan) Zipes of Carmel, IN, and sister, Marilynn Zipes Wallace of Bognor Regis, United Kingdom.  

Private services will be held in Putnam Valley, NY. Condolences may be shared online at simplicityfuneralservices.com.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make gifts in Jacki’s memory may do so to support the rescue efforts of Camden Companions Animal Rescue (camdencompanions.org) or by mail to 33 Wakefield Drive, Medford, NJ 08055.