Suzanne Alida St. Pierre

WORCESTER- Suzanne Alida St. Pierre, a well-respected and longtime producer of CBS's "60 minutes" and trailblazer for women in news media passed away on April 24 at her home in Worcester, MA. She was 87. Born August 12, 1936, in Worcester to Henry and Beatrice (Lajoie) St. Pierre. She is survived by her niece Suzanne St. Pierre and her partner Patrick Cannon of Hull, MA - Her grandnieces Amanda Misilo and husband Geoffrey of Sterling, MA; Stephanie Swanson and husband Christopher of Plymouth, MA and Dr. Hilary St. Pierre- Ciferno and husband Eric Ciferno of Plymouth, MA.

She is also survived by her brother Edward St. Pierre and wife Marianne of Mashpee, Ma; her sister Nanette St. Pierre- Locke and husband Roger Locke of Worcester and Provincetown, MA; her brother Richard St. Pierre and wife Barbara of West Boylston, MA and her sister-in-law Linda St. Pierre of Worcester, MA. She is also survived by nephews Peter St. Pierre and his partner Suzie Porter of Shrewsbury, MA, Michael St. Pierre and his wife Joanne of Auburn, MA, Paul Karpawich and his wife Kristi of Hopkington, NH, Robert Lakatos and his wife Heather of Mashpee, MA and nieces Nicole St. Pierre-Bielski and her husband Kenneth of Mashpee, Ma and Andrea St.Pierre of Roxbury, MA. She was survived by numerous grand nieces, nephews, a great- grandnephew and niece, and a step- daughter, Cristina Sevareid- Versechel and husband Michael Verschel of Roswell, GA. Along with her beloved dog, Bisou.

She is predeceased by her husband Eric Sevareid, brother Henry G. St. Pierre, nephew Henry G. St. Pierre Jr. and former canine companion, Lilly.

She attended Bancroft School and graduated from Smith College in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. She spent her junior year in Switzerland studying French at the University of Geneva and also attended the Graduate University of International Studies.

She started her career in journalism in 1968 at NBC news as assistant to the director Frank Jordan. Her first week on the job was in June 1968. Huntley- Brinkley was just signing off when the phone rang at the control desk and Suzanne answered it. The voice said: "Bobby Kennedy has just been shot. It's not clear if it's his head or his hip".

After the election, she remained at NBC News working as a researcher on a two-and-a-half-hour documentary "From Here to the Seventies" produced by Shad Northshield.

In January 1970 she joined CBS News as a researcher in groundbreaking television documentarian Perry Wolff's documentary unit. She would become an integral part of the "60 minutes" team, where she served as producer for over 50 segments. She has produced segments for numerous correspondents, including Mike Wallace, Morley Safer, Diane Sawyer, Lesley Stahl, and Meredith Vieira.

Her work as a producer has led to the development of several movies, including "Rain Man", starring Dustin Hoffman. As a result of her investigative work on the "60 minutes" segment "Lennel Geter's in Jail" an innocent young man was freed who was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison for an armed robbery he did not commit.

She was awarded a Peabody, three Columbia-duPont awards, four Emmys and an American Women in Radio and Television award for her work.

Suzanne's family extends their heartfelt gratitude to her caregivers, Meg Halvorsen and Krystyna Krajewska, for their unwavering care and compassion.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Suzanne's family from 6 to 8 pm on Thursday, May 2, at the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden. A funeral service honoring her life will be celebrated privately at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Worcester Animal Rescue League, 139 Holden Street, Worcester, MA 01606 or to the Worcester County Food Bank, 474 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury, MA 01545. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit the "Tribute Wall" on this page.