diff --git a/packages/seacas/libraries/ioss/src/exodus/Ioex_BaseDatabaseIO.C b/packages/seacas/libraries/ioss/src/exodus/Ioex_BaseDatabaseIO.C
index a244fbdefe..5838d1daeb 100644
--- a/packages/seacas/libraries/ioss/src/exodus/Ioex_BaseDatabaseIO.C
+++ b/packages/seacas/libraries/ioss/src/exodus/Ioex_BaseDatabaseIO.C
@@ -1975,15 +1975,16 @@ namespace Ioex {
             dynamic_cast<const Ioss::CompositeVariableType *>(storage);
         if (composite != nullptr) {
           exo_field.nesting = 2;
-          char separator    = field.get_suffix_separator();
 
           exo_field.type[0]        = Ioex::map_ioss_field_type(composite->GetBaseType()->name());
           exo_field.cardinality[0] = composite->GetBaseType()->component_count();
-          exo_field.component_separator[0] = separator == 1 ? '_' : separator;
+          char separator0          = field.get_suffix_separator();
+          exo_field.component_separator[0] = separator0 == 1 ? '_' : separator0;
 
           exo_field.type[1]                = EX_FIELD_TYPE_SEQUENCE;
           exo_field.cardinality[1]         = composite->GetNumCopies();
-          exo_field.component_separator[1] = separator == 1 ? '_' : separator;
+          char separator1                  = field.get_suffix_separator(1);
+          exo_field.component_separator[1] = separator1 == 1 ? '_' : separator1;
         }
         else {
           exo_field.nesting = 1;