Shirley Anne Sutton

Shirley Anne Sutton lived a life rich in faith and family. A woman who embodied her principles, she exhibited an unwavering trust in the Lord that anchored her through the years. Intelligent, talented, and generous, she loved to read, enjoyed art and nature, and doted on her four children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Kind and gentle, she served as a source of quiet inspiration for all who were blessed to know her.

Born into the gloom of the Great Depression, in 1930, a baby girl who would grow up to experience an unfathomable near-century of technological advances and societal changes arrived at a moment of great anticipation of better times. And nowhere dwelled a greater sense of that hope than in the hearts and home of (Joseph) Edmund and Ethel (Dryden) Gilbert as they welcomed their first child – a daughter they named Shirley - on November 13 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Eventually joined by three beloved siblings, Shirley (then 8 years old) and the family undertook a move to Saskatoon, on the northern edge of the Great Plains. A gal who loved the outdoors, she never bristled at the harsh walks through frigid winters back and forth to school. From those early days, Shirley developed a love of books, particularly novels, that would follow her for a lifetime. Piano lessons as a child would likewise pay off down the road as she would years later play for her own children. True to her namesake, the blonde, blue-eyed girl entered a Shirley Temple contest at the insistence of her mother – and won.

Catholic faith stood as a cornerstone of the Gilbert family home, and Shirley attended religious schools. Ever-studious, she was an eager learner who excelled. After graduating from the Academy of Sion High School in Saskatoon, Shirley studied Biology at the University of Saskatchewan, where she blossomed. Always positive, she naturally saw the good in everyone she met, and her beautiful nature shone in a smile that she shared easily. These qualities helped her develop a group of close friends at the university, and her philosophy professor, Fr. Kennedy, became her mentor during those years. Summers she spent working at Jasper National Park in Alberta to help fund her studies. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, Shirley made a bold and decisive decision: She moved to the United States, to a city known as Kalamazoo, in the great state of Michigan. There she took a job in the research department of the renowned pharmaceutical firm Upjohn Company (known today as Pfizer.)

In early 1953, while attending a party hosted by friends, Shirley met a local high school science teacher named Norris Sutton. The pair hit it off and began dating soon after. Within months, they travelled together to visit Shirley’s family in Winnipeg. With the approval of her parents, Norris on that very trip proposed to the woman with whom he would share the next 60 years. On August 21, 1954, the couple married at Holy Cross Church in St. Boniface, Manitoba. They honeymooned in Canada, northern Wisconsin, and Michigan as they journeyed back to Kalamazoo to settle into married life.

The following year, Shirley and Norris welcomed daughter Karen. An exceptional child, she soon enjoyed the company of a sister, Nancy, born in 1958, and two brothers, Kevin, born in 1961, and Jamie, born in 1963. Shirley relished motherhood and dedicated herself to raising the children in a warm, comfortable home of her making.

A soccer mom before the term was ever coined, she faithfully hauled herself to her sons’ sporting events. She also served as a den mother for Cub Scouts and insisted that her entire brood share her own love for the great outdoors, often pushing them to the backyard, which faced something of a small forest, where lunch and dinner were served in the warmer months. A first-generation college graduate, Shirley joined her husband in prioritizing education and sent their offspring to St. Augustine elementary and Hackett Catholic Prep.

Shirley created a tradition-rich home for her family, which included pancakes for Sunday breakfast, working puzzles in the family room, little gifts for Valentine’s Day, and special meals for birthdays. Christmastime was celebrated in close togetherness and lots of laughter with much feasting on baked goods prepared with recipes passed down by her Canadian relatives. Her Christmas carrot pudding, made from scratch and lovingly prepared, was a family favorite.

Fun as a family was prioritized. One winter, soon after the kids each received a pair of skates from Santa, Norris built an ice rink in the backyard. Anticipated with eagerness were the family’s month-long stays at Shirley’s parents’ cottage on West Hawk Lake in southeastern Manitoba. A two-day trek complete with mandatory rounds of BINGO and Old MacDonald would see the family arrive at the rustic building, outhouse nearby, after which weeks of nonstop swimming and canoeing brought them all even closer. Back in Kalamazoo, the family enjoyed bike rides together and hikes at the local nature center.

With her youngsters grown, Shirley continued many of her hobbies, among them growing a garden behind the house – daisies, lilies, and tulips were favorites – making applesauce annually with friends, baking a dense, healthy, whole-grain bread in coffee cans (that for years her children dutifully ate), and regularly swimming and taking classes at the YMCA. She and Norris played in a bridge club, and she pursued courses at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art. Husband and wife participated in several Elder Hostel experiences and enjoyed travel in general, taking memorable trips to Hawaii, England, and Italy.

Among the part-time jobs Shirley held over the years were field employee and, later, director for CATCH, a county health department blood pressure screening program. True to her generous nature, she also graciously volunteered to translate books into braille for a local organization, served as the founding editor of her parish’s church newsletter and even once fostered a baby in need.

Soon after the loss of her dear husband, Shirley moved to Friendship Village. An earlier traumatic brain injury, suffered in a fall, contributed to her decline. Yet she remained faithful, loving, patient, and grateful to the end.

Shirley Anne Sutton, of Kalamazoo, age 93, died Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at Friendship Village in Kalamazoo. Shirley was preceded in death by her husband Norris in 2015, sister, Carol McPherson, and infant brother, Lawrence Gilbert. Members of her family include children: Karen Sutton, Nancy (Stephen) Wolf, Kevin (Jane) Sutton, and James Sutton (Alexandra Pecharich); grandchildren: Sean, Elizabeth, and David Wolf, Rebecca (Eric) Jonardi, Christina (Stephanie) Kovach, Alexander and Nicholas Sutton; great-grandchildren: Elise and Alexander Jonardi; siblings: Robert Gilbert and Donnie McKenna and many nieces and nephews. Please join us at a Life Story Visitation where food, drinks, and stories will be shared on Monday, March 25, from 5-7PM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49009 (269) 375-2900 where a rosary will be recited at 7PM. Mass will be celebrated Tuesday (March 26) at 10AM at St. Thomas More Parish, followed by a luncheon. Burial at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Visit Shirley’s webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com to archive favorite memories and photos and sign her guestbook. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kalamazoo Nature Center or Elara Hospice.