City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Suzanne Sauter
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Age 76.
Died 03/28/2025.
Born on July 21, 1948, in Newark, New Jersey, Suzanne's life was marked by a deep commitment to knowledge, service, and compassion. Her academic journey began at Wellesley College, where she earned her B.A. in Economics in 1970. Driven by an insatiable curiosity and a desire to serve others through medicine, she went on to receive her M.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1974.
Suzanne completed her internship in the Department of Medicine at the University of Florida Teaching Hospital from 1974 to 1975. She returned to North Carolina for her residency at UNC Hospitals (1975–1976) and continued as a Fellow in the Division of Immunology within the Department of Medicine at UNC from 1976 to 1978. Her dedication to both clinical practice and academic medicine led her to serve as a Consultation Physician from 1978 to 1993 and as Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology from 1992 to 1994.
From 1981 to 1993, Suzanne served as Director of the Rehabilitation Program Office at the UNC School of Medicine. Her leadership and vision helped shape programs that supported countless patients and medical professionals alike. Never one to stop learning or growing professionally, she earned an M.L.S. from Duke University School of Law in 1996—further testament to her intellectual rigor and wide-ranging interests.
Outside of her professional life, Suzanne found joy and inspiration in many pursuits. She had a special affection for pugs and cats, whose companionship brought her great comfort over the years. A passionate genealogist and researcher at heart, she spent years delving into family histories with meticulous care.
Her love for churches—especially their stained glass windows—reflected both her aesthetic sensibility and spiritual depth.
Suzanne was a devoted member of Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill, where she served faithfully as Vestry Member, a Liturgical and Pastoral Care Volunteer, and member of the Christian Formation program and Altar Guild. Her presence there was marked by reverence, dedication, and quiet strength.
Gardening and design were also among Suzanne’s cherished hobbies; she approached each with creativity and thoughtfulness that mirrored how she lived every aspect of her life—with intention and grace.
Those who knew Suzanne remember her as friendly and curious—a teacher not only by profession but by nature. She had an extraordinary ability to immerse herself deeply into subjects that fascinated her, often researching them for years with unwavering focus. Her legacy would have to include how she modeled lifelong learning for the young, and not-so-young women who she held dear.
Suzanne has a large network of friends who considered her family. May her memory continue to inspire them, and all who were fortunate enough to know her.
Funeral services will be held at Chapel Of The Cross Church, 304 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC on April 25th at 1pm. Reception to follow.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.