Dr. Frank Sutton

SUTTON, Dr. Frank Dr. Frank Sutton of Bloomfield, formerly of Flushing, NY, died Sunday, (June 28, 2009). He was born in Budapest, Hungary on January 26, 1914, the son of the late Sandor and Regina Szatmari. He was the second of four children. He attended primary and secondary schools in Budapest as well as studying chemistry at the Budapest Institute of Technology. He went on to attend Medical School at Karl University in Prague, Czechoslovakia. While enrolled there in 1938, he had the opportunity to come to the United States. Within six months, he met and married his first wife, Terry Kreiss, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. His continued strong interest in the health care field pointed him in the direction of Chiropractic, which at that time only required four years of training and schooling. While working full time during the evenings, he attended the NY Institute of Chiropractic, became Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook and graduated near the top of his class in 1950. When NY State licensed Chiropractors in 1963, he was in the first group of practitioners that passed the Licensing Board examination. While participating in his own Chiropractic practice full time, he taught at the NY Institute of Chiropractic, worked in Medicaid Clinics throughout New York City and acted as a Lobbyist to the NY State Legislature in areas associated with health care and Chiropractic. Dr. Sutton continued to practice Chiropractic well into his mid 80's. He was an active member of the Democratic Party since the early 1940's and ardently campaigned for every Democratic Presidential nominee since FDR. He was a member of the JFK Democratic Club in Queens, NY where he held a number of Executive Board positions and worked on numerous local, city, state and national campaigns. He served as an Election Poll Worker for more than 20 years working all elections from local primaries to national elections in District 53 in Queens, NY. Prior to moving to Bloomfield in May 2005, he was a long time member of Temple Torah Emeth in Flushing, NY where he held various offices as well as serving on its Board of Directors. Dr. Sutton personified the term "people person." He was warm, friendly, gregarious and always ready with a smile and a joke. He exhibited a zest for life with an energy level that those half his age would admire and envy. He read constantly and his continuing thirst for knowledge always seemed unquenchable. His vim and vigor were a marvel to behold. He was a wonderful role model to all his family and friends demonstrating how an individual can age with grace and dignity and continue to function as a very useful and productive member of the community. He is survived by his son, James Sutton and his wife, Marcia of West Hartford; his daughter, Peggy Cohen and her husband, Martin of Bedminster, NJ; two step-daughters, Dr. Barbara Sayres of Summit, NJ and Norma Perelstein of Oakland, CA; his grandchildren, Terry Sutton, Peter Sutton and his wife Nancy, Traci Cohen, Richard Cohen, Carl Sayres and his wife, Brianna, David Sayres and his wife, Jennifer and Meira Perelstein; his great-grandchildren, Samantha Sutton, Alexander Sayres, Matthew Sayres and Benjamin Sayres; and numerous nephews and nieces whom he shared very long and close relationships with. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, Julius and Tibor, who were lost in the holocaust; his sister Livia and her husband, Miklos Grausz; his first wife, Terry Kreiss Sutton; his second wife, Diane Blase Sutton; and his step son-in-law, Alden Sayres. Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, June 30, at 1 p.m. in the Chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Ave, Hartford, with Rabbi Gary Atkins officiating. Interment will follow in the Beth Hillel Cemetery, East Granby. Memorial period to be observed at the home of his son and daughter-in-law at 25 Northbrook Drive, West Hartford on Tuesday following the funeral and throughout Wednesday. Memorial contributions may be made to Seabury Retirement Community, 250 Wintonbury Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002 or Beth Hillel Synagogue, 160 Wintonbury Ave., Bloomfield. Special thanks to all of the staff at the Seabury Retirement Community for their wonderful care and support.