Dr. William K. Sutherland

William Kenneth Sutherland, M.D., passed away at home on Monday, October 28, surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren.
Bill grew up in El Paso, Texas, with his two brothers and one sister, went to Yestla High School, then Texas Western (now UTEP) for college, and medical school in Galveston, Texas. He did his residency in San Antonio, Texas. He chose Obstetrics because the doctors who practiced it were happy, and, because he knew that since he had a tendency towards hypochondria and could believe he was coming down with whatever he was treating, knew that he would never be able to come down with pregnancy.
Before moving to Jackson, however, and while still in medical school, he successfully conquered the bouts of nausea he would experience at the mere thought of a very particular girl he wanted to ask out, and after she eventually said yes, married the only girl he ever loved: Mary Pamela Leitch. They were married for 56 years.
Newly married, and drafted into the Army, he moved out of Texas and was stationed at various army bases around the southeast for 10 years. He realized at some point that he could live somewhere where there was green grass and trees, which was a contrast to El Paso, so he set about finding a place where he could live and practice medicine, and his criteria was that it had to have a good church, good schools, and green trees and grass, as well as an OBGYN practice that needed a partner. He and his wife and family moved to Jackson, Mississippi in 1981, as he had found the place that met his criteria. He practiced here in Jackson from 1981 to 2004.
Bill, or "Popi" as he was known by his grandchildren, was an imposing figure of a man; a giant in his faith, and a giant of a man physically: at 6'4" and a dedicated weight lifter, his presence could be intimidating ( even terrifying to some of his children's high school friends). But even with his height and presence, and large hands, he was underneath it all a sensitive, kind, and caring man with a giant heart. He brought life into the world; and he literally delivered thousands of babies over the span of his practice, and was known to have wept on occasions when a patient lost a baby. His son, daughter, and spouses have been told countless times by people that they have never met before how wonderful he was and how much they loved him as their OBGYN. Saying you were a Sutherland guaranteed an immediate enthusiastic response, beaming smiles, and inquiries as to kinship, as well as heartfelt, genuine love.
He was good with his hands, could do anything if he decided to, and was a gifted carpenter who enjoyed making furniture in his spare time. Being from Texas, however, and being such a big man, he tended to make furniture fit for the Nephilim: if it weighed 500 pounds and was essentially immovable, it was considered a worthy piece of furniture.
But most importantly, he was a giant in his walk of faith. He loved Jesus and the Bible, and memorized the entire book of Ephesians, as well as Romans chapters 7,8, and 9. He has attended First Presbyterian Church of Jackson since 1981, and has been involved deeply with his Sunday school and Wednesday night discipleship group.
He leaves behind his wife Pam, daughter Cheryl Greaves (Sebastian), and grandchildren, Mary Barbour, Douglass, Emma, Sarah, Charlotte, Decatur, Rebecca, and son Jim Sutherland (Eleanor), and grandchildren Godfrey, Ian, Gabriella, and Isabel.
A memorial service will be held First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi, at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, November 2, 2024.