Obituary of Arthur L. Sutton

A memorial service will be held Monday, June 30, 2014 at 1:30pm at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake, Iowa. Burial will be at Good Hope Cemetery near Aurelia, Iowa. Condolences can be sent to the Art Sutton family at 17977 West Jojoba Road, Goodyear, AZ 85338 as well turnerfuneralhomes.com. Arthur Leslie Sutton was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania on December 21, 1916 to Beatrice (Thomas) Sutton and Arthur Leslie Sutton. He graduated from North High School, in Des Moines, Iowa and Buena Vista College where he was an outstanding athlete. At B.V., he earned 9 letters in 3 years playing football, basketball and baseball until he had a career-ending injury in baseball his junior year. One of his proudest moments was being named to the Buena Vista Athletic Hall of Fame. Like so many young men in the forties, his life was on hold for three years during World War II while he served in the Armed Forces as a cryptographer on the island of Attu. Following graduation, He began teaching and coaching at Essex, Iowa, and after a year moved to Alta, Iowa where he taught history, phys ed, and coached football, basketball and track for ten happy years and established The Alta Relays. After coaching and teaching another four years in Cherokee, Iowa, he began selling sporting goods for Dwight Hauff and later became a partner in Sportsmen in Storm Lake where he remained until he retired. He found this very satisfying, calling on schools, talking to the coaches, and keeping track of so many old friends involved in high school athletics. In 1975 he was inducted into the Northwest Iowa Coaches Hall of Fame. Art had a place in his heart for all his students and athletes and served as a mentor for so many young people. Over the years he received many heartwarming cards and letters from those very people. On October 23, 1942 he married Marvel (Babe) Robbins and her two children, Tom and Cindy. He was a devoted husband and father to his stepchildren. Art and Babe were blessed with two more children, Lois Bea and Arthur James in 1947 and 1950. When they retired it was to Storm Lake where they enjoyed playing golf with their many friends there as well as at Alta. They loved to go places together and their favorite destination was Las Vegas. Art considered himself lucky to have grandchildren and great grandchildren in the area and spent many hours attending their school activities and sports events. He loved to tell any spectators around him who he was there to see and that he was grandpa to that boy or girl. He was free with encouragement, affection, time and his pocketbook when it came to his family and he was rewarded by being showered with their love and admiration from babyhood to adulthood. In later years, he and Babe resided with their daughter and son-in-law. After Babe's death he relocated to Arizona with them. He enjoyed wherever he was and was a joy to be around. He remained a Cub and Hawkeye fan until the very end. Art died April 18, 2014 at home with his family as he wished. He was cremated and will share an urn with his beloved wife for eternity according to their plan. He leaves behind to miss him dearly his daughters Lois and Cindy and son Artie, 9 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and 7 great-great grandchildren. He is joyfully reunited with his wife, parents, brothers Guy and Foster, Son Tom and so may others he loved.