Wanda "Mamma Sue" (Cartlidge) Trisler

On December 13, 2025, the long vigil of attention and care for Wanda Sue Cartlidge Trisler (a.k.a. “Mama Sue”) ended in her passing. She succumbed to the direct and indirect effects of Parkinson’s disease after a number of years dealing with the slowly disabling symptoms of that malady. She died in the home in which she spent her childhood, attended throughout her decline and debilitation, aside from professional help, by three children and their spouses, sixteen grandchildren, and a host of friends.

Mama Sue came into this world on June 12, 1947, in Monroe, Louisiana, to the delight of eager parents, Clyde Shelby and Yorkie Burns Cartlidge. An only child, she was reared in the rural community of Start, Louisiana, in Richland Parish, and proved herself in growth and development worthy of the love and attention paid her by supportive parents. To their abundant credit, she recounted that from her earliest recollections she could not remember a time when the family had not attended church together.

Sue graduated from Start High School in 1965 in a class numbering sixteen, most of whom were from families with years of community association and familiarity, resulting in an extremely tight-knit group. Neither the passage of time nor distance of separation ever seemed to lessen the loyalty or basic affection held by that group for one another, as witnessed by the joy exhibited at their reunions and the lines of communication maintained through the ensuing years.

She proved to be an excellent student both in high school and college, and in 1969 graduated from Northeast Louisiana State College with a degree in education. In August 1970, she married Marine PFC Walter Trisler and embarked on the adventure of his tour of duty in Washington, D.C.

The couple returned to the Start community after military duty to establish a permanent residence. In the following years, Mama Sue became the mother of three, the grandmother of sixteen, and, at the time of her passing, the great-grandmother of eight. These include first child Tara LeAnn, who with her husband, Dr. Robert Maddox, had a household of six surviving children and endured the sad loss of one. The Robert Maddox family presently consists of four married siblings and eight grandchildren, again having experienced the sad loss of one, as well as the loss of the head of the family, Dr. Maddox.

Second child Patrick Alexander Trisler and wife Shannon White Trisler have five children, with one married. Third child Amy Coleen Booth and husband Aaron have one married child and four still in school.

Through the grace of a kind providence, Mama Sue, in the early years of motherhood, came to realize that her children belonged to their Creator and not to her, and that as a parent she was duty-bound to rear her children in the admonition, knowledge, and responsibility to the Lord God of the Holy Bible.

That acknowledgment led, in time, to the founding of a Christian school, with Mama Sue serving as headmaster. The school, known as American Heritage Christian School, was active for five years, during which Mama Sue also served as instructor, teaching—with an aide—in a one-schoolroom setting as many as forty students across eight grade levels. Evidence of her success was witnessed in the placement of her students in other educational settings, where they were consistently ahead of their contemporaries in grade level. Having been unable to renew the building lease, the school closed, at which time she began the process of homeschooling, again with successful results.

Seeking a Reformed church witness in the area, the family joined what was then Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church and pursued the work of witness through that guide. Mama Sue was involved in organizing homeschool conferences, hosting speakers and attendees for a yearly historical Christian conference that lasted eighteen years, and actively participating in other church activities.

Sue lived a blessed life. She leaves a family of Christians as the ultimate culmination of her work on earth, as blessed by her Lord. She now begins her future in glory. She will be laid to rest at a private service in the family cemetery on the banks of the Brimberry on December 16, 2025, with grandsons acting as pallbearers and Rev. Steve Wilkins officiating. A public memorial service was held at 4:00 p.m. that same day at Church of the Redeemer, 715 Cypress Street, West Monroe, Louisiana.

May her work toward a biblical culture be blessed through the ages. Thanks be to God.

Condolences may be left at brownholleyfuneralhomes.com.

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