Sue Parsons Zippay, a former professional baseball player who later became a local tennis coach and advocate for women in sports, died peacefully July 14, 2025. She was 91.
Born Suzanne Doris Parsons on April 1, 1934, in Medford, Massachusetts, Zippay was the sixth of seven children and grew up in Hingham. In 1953, shortly after graduating from high school, she joined the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, where she played for two seasons at multiple positions, including pitcher and second base.
Zippay’s early accomplishments in baseball earned her recognition decades later, when she and her teammates were honored in 1988 with a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. She also appeared in a small role in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own,” which dramatized the story of the league.
After the AAGPBL folded, Zippay turned her attention to tennis. She began coaching in 1973 and became a certified teaching professional, later opening a tennis specialty shop in Massachusetts. She was ranked regionally and nationally in the 40-and-over division.
Zippay moved to Florida in 1987 and, the following year, partnered with her son Bob to revitalize the Englewood Tennis Club. There, she coached players of all ages, organized community leagues and helped bring middle school tennis to the area, often volunteering her time and equipment.
She remained active in the AAGPBL Players Association and, in 2019, founded American Girls Baseball, a nonprofit organization focused on providing girls and women opportunities to play baseball at all levels. The organization plans to hold the All-American Women’s Baseball Classic from Aug. 1–3 in Durham, North Carolina — an event Zippay helped plan and promote in her final year.
“Sue was a remarkable, wonderful lady,” one tribute on her online memorial read. “Her passing leaves a substantial hole in the sports community and its history.”
Zippay was preceded in death by her husband, Tom; her parents; and five of her six siblings. She is survived by her sister, Dorcas; three children, David, Robert and Judy; six grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; and many extended family members and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Tidewell Hospice or American Girls Baseball.
Arrangements are being handled by Baldwin Brothers Funeral and Cremation Society.
