Anne Catherine Sutton

Anne Catherine Sutton Was born on April 10, 1930 in Oakland, CA, to William and Eleanor Smith. She attended Oakland and Berkeley schools until her father took a civil engineering position in Nevada and moved the family to Carson City, then a busy state capitol of 3,000 residents. She graduated from Carson City High School in 1948 with 12 other classmates. Anne next attended Stephens College in Columbia, MO, where she was elected Miss Cheerfulness, a trait that her many friends would appreciate throughout her life. Upon graduating from the two year school she transferred to the University of California at Berkeley, where she joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Adventure called before she finished her Cal studies and Anne became a stewardess for Cal Eastern Airlines, a small airline that island-hopped from San Francisco to Japan. Given the postwar climate, once in Tokyo the stewardesses were protected by security forces. When Cal Eastern's other plane crashed outside the Golden Gate, Anne's stewardess days were over and she went to work for Cal Pac, now Del Monte, in San Francisco. It was through her dentist, Dr. Ned McCord, that Anne met the love of her life, Zook Sutton. They were married on Zook's 30th birthday on April 26, 1952. Three children soon followed and the family settled in Zook's hometown of Piedmont. Anne had an innate ability to develop lasting friendships, a quality that continued throughout her years. She and her many friends were involved with the Piedmont Garden Club, the Junior League of Oakland, Hoe & Hope, and Oakland's Cerebral Palsy Center. In 1964, Zook, an Alameda County Deputy District Attorney, decided to run for Municipal Judge in Oakland, and Anne managed the campaign. With her wide circle of friends and winning ways, Anne helped secure a narrow victory. Shortly thereafter her fourth child was born. Anne continued with her friends and charity work and became an accomplished gardener. Local contract gardeners would frequently ask Anne for advice as she gardened at her Piedmont home. Five years ago Anne was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. On July 27, 2007 she passed on after a long and courageous battle with both arthritis and cancer. Anne is survived by her loving husband Zook and her four children: Garrett Zook Sutton (Jenny) of Reno, NV, Amy Puccinelli (Michael) of Danville, CA, The Rev. John Sutton (Elizabeth) of Albany, CA, and Mary Pinkus (Gary) of Woodside, CA. Anne is also survived by 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A Memorial Service celebrating her life will be held at her son's parish, St. Anselm's Episcopal Church, in Lafayette, CA, on Friday, August 3rd at 3 p.m. Gifts in memoriam may be sent to The Piedmont Beautification Foundation, c/o Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611-4031, or The Cerebral Palsy Center for the Bay Area, Inc., 4500 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, CA 94602.