James Suddeth

SUDDETH, Lt. Colonel James A. (U.S. Army, Ret.), age 88, died in his sleep on August 31, 2009. His beloved wife of 66 years, Anne Dodson Suddeth; and son, J. Allen Suddeth and daughter-in-law, Grace T. Suddeth, survive him. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Annelle Suddeth Reid; and son-in-law, David A. Reid. He had four grandchildren, Richard Cooper Reid and David Alvin Reid of Richmond, and Nicole Hunter Suddeth and Patrick Allen Suddeth of Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He was born in Winterville, Georgia on February 1, 1921, and moved to Atlanta during his high school and college years. Attending Georgia Tech, he met and married his future wife, Anne, and accepted a commission into the Army in 1943. He served with distinction for 23 years, with postings in Martinique, Puerto Rico, the Pentagon, Ft. Leavenworth, Ft. Bragg, Ft. Monmouth, Korea, Vienna, and Paris. After retiring from the military, he worked for Martin Marietta, the Philip Carey Corporation, The Bank Building Corporation, and in commercial real estate. He held a B.S. degree in Military Science from the University of Maryland. A restless intellect, he went back to college when he was about 70, earning a Master's Degree in Humanities from the University of Richmond. A golf and tennis fan, a stamp and coin collector, and raconteur, he was in his element at diplomatic parties in Paris in the 1960s and around Richmond. He was also an avid student of history, and counted among his interests membership in the Sons of the American Revolution (where he was past president of the Richmond chapter), the Jamestowne Society, and the Society of Colonial Wars. He was also a member of the Reveille United Methodist Church. The Suddeths will miss his wit, his strength, his stories, his French "bon mots" and his dapper appearance. His remains rest at the Huguenot Chapel of Woody Funeral Home, 1020 Huguenot Road, where the family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Graveside services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at Hollywood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.