John Frederick Sutton

1933 - 2022

John Frederick Sutton
John Frederick Sutton, of Scarborough, Maine, died peacefully at home on July 29, 2022. Born in Trenton, NJ in 1933 to the Reverend Fred Perry Sutton and Dorothy Auten Sutton, John devoted his life to education, service, his church, and his family. He walked this earth with quiet dignity and left his imprint on so many he met along the way. He will be greatly missed.
John attended Haddonfield Friends School in Haddonfield, NJ, and after moving to Connecticut, Hopkins Grammar School (now Hopkins School) in New Haven, CT, where he graduated in 1951. He was active in the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Following high school, he earned two degrees from Yale University; a BA in English in 1955 and an MAT in 1956. John was on the Varsity Fencing team at Yale, making his mark with the epee.
John devoted his 35-year career as an educator to the students and staff of the Darien, CT, Public Schools, where he taught English at Mather Junior High School, Middlesex Junior High School and Middlesex Middle School and served as the Coordinator of English, K-12 for many years. In addition to teaching thousands of students, John mentored student teachers and novice teachers and never stopped developing his craft. After retirement, he continued to teach and learn at Lifetime Learners in Norwalk, CT, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USM, Portland, ME. One of his greatest joys was singing bass with the OLLI Singers.
The son of an Episcopal priest, John was a man of faith who served the Church and its people, from altar boy to lay minister to vestry member to delegate at state and national conventions of the Episcopal Church. His home parishes included the Church of the Good Shepherd in Shelton, CT, Trinity Church and Grace Church in Norwalk, CT and St. Nicholas Church in Scarborough, ME. Whether it was at the Open Door Shelter soup kitchen in Norwalk or on a trip to Sierra Leone to visit the girls' school started by Grace Church, John was always generous with his time and talents.
John pursued his passions wherever he was. One of them was sailing his Jet 14, the Boola Belle, and his Sunfish, Sutfish, on the Long Island Sound and on the Great Sound off Stone Harbor, NJ. John was a member of the Norwalk Power Squadron, where he achieved the rank of Navigator and served as Commander for one term. As a member of Norwalk Camera Club, he enjoyed learning the latest techniques and entering amateur photo competitions. John was a voracious reader, and according to his hand-written book list, he read over 4,000 books from 1957 to the present! He also wrote hundreds of poems, and he enjoyed meeting regularly with a group of fellow poetry lovers at their homes. His last poem was an ode to his wife, Dorothy, on her birthday in January.
Finally, John loved woodworking, especially building utilitarian items for his family. Whether it was a jungle gym, rocking boat, or bunk bed for his daughters when they were young or a cedar chest and kitchen cabinets for them as adults, John was recycling materials before it was popular. Through building, he showed his love, one nail at a time.
John was predeceased by his parents; and sister, Mary Faith Sutton. He is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-six years, Dorothy Nicholas Sutton of Scarborough, ME; daughters, Cathy Bennett of South Portland, ME and Carol Sutton of Fryeburg, ME; and their husbands Mark Bennett and Christopher Madden; grandchildren, Dana Bennett of Westbrook, ME, Carolyn Bennett of Seattle, WA, and Malachai Madden of South Portland, ME; cousin, Edith Ruth Rohrman of Gibbstown, NJ; and his niece and nephews and their families.
The family would also like to acknowledge John's home healthcare angels, Brandi, Carline, Diane, Paige and Theresa. Their tireless attention to John's needs were a source of immeasurable comfort for him and the family.
The family requests contributions to honor John be made to Open Doors in Norwalk, CT (4 Merritt Street, Norwalk, CT 06854), St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Scarborough, ME (350 US Route 1, Scarborough, ME 04074), or Friends of Scarborough Public Library in Scarborough, ME (48 Gorham Rd., Scarborough, ME 040784).
A Celebration of Life will take place at St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Scarborough, ME, on Saturday, August 27. Details will be provided.