Obituary of Sue Sutton

Suzanne D. Sutton: 1926 – 2020, Age 93 Suzanne D. Sutton passed away January 31 in Vancouver, WA. Sue was born in LaPorte, IN and grew up in Huntington Woods, MI, graduating from Royal Oak High School. She attended Skidmore College and later received her B.A. Degree in English Literature from the University of Michigan in 1947. She married her childhood friend John (“Jack”) Sutton in 1947 and they moved to the Bloomfield area and later Birmingham in 1953. Jack passed away in 1992. After college and until the birth of her first daughter, Sue was a reporter for the Detroit News as a gardening columnist and Society News reporter/writer. After several years of - and while - raising her four daughters, Sue attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, receiving her MS. Degree in Library Science. She quickly joined the staff of the growing Bloomfield Township Public Library. She remained there for over 20 years, with an initial specialty in library research, becoming Director of Adult Services and gaining the position of Deputy Director. During her tenure of the Bloomfield Township Public Library she also was a member of the nationwide Notable Notable Books Committee, eventually becoming its Chairwoman. She further was the recipient of the Baker and Taylor Company national award for her work in promoting reading. In search of a better climate, Sue relocated with her husband to Palm Spring CA, having secured a position on the staff of the Palm Springs Public Library in 1986. She remained there for several years as well as also serving of the library’s Board of Directors. In her over 30 years in Palm Springs, she cultivated some close friendships and was a long time and dedicated volunteer for the Palm Springs Film Festival and Palm Springs Historical Society. Up until the age of 90, Sue remained an avid reader, savvy consumer of current event and political news, animal lover .and energetic bicyclist. She supported the Living Desert and a wide array of charitable and women’s organizations. In 2017, Sue reluctantly relocated to a memory care facility in Vancouver, WA, where two of her daughters (Sara and Amy) could remain in close contact. Sue is survived by four daughters: Cynthia Sutton Hoppe of Sarasota, FL, Julie Sutton of New Haven, CT, Amy Sutton of Portland, OR and Sara Sutton Lugo (and Sara’s husband Tony Lugo) of Vancouver, WA. Her grandchildren include Patrick Hursley of Los Angeles, CA, Jennifer Hoppe Annunziata of Stamford, CT and Holly Hursley of Portland, OR. Sue’s great grandchildren include Cindy’s three grandsons and Amy’s three grandchildren.