Sutton, Doris Nell Eiffert

Miss Doris Nell Eiffert Sutton, formerly of Radford, Va., died peacefully on Sunday, December 2, 2007.

The daughter of the late George Mack and Nellie Flora Sutton, she was born in Rural Retreat, Va. on April 19, 1911 and raised in Ansted, W.Va. A graduate of Ansted High School, Miss Sutton attended William & Mary, where she was a 75-year member of Phi Mu Fraternity for women, and graduated from Radford University. She obtained a Master’s degree from the Teachers College of Columbia University. After teaching in West Virginia, Miss Sutton moved to Massachusetts to work in the drafting department for Reynolds Metals. The company moved her family to Richmond, where she worked until she took a teaching position with the Richmond Public Schools.

Miss Sutton taught jewelry and silversmithing classes at John Marshall and Thomas Jefferson High Schools from 1946 until her retirement in 1976. An accomplished artist, Miss Sutton displayed her work and participated in juried art shows up and down the East Coast. She continued to create jewelry and art in her home workshop into her 90s.

Miss Sutton was also a gifted seamstress and exceptional gardener. She was a member of many artists guilds and associations and the Richmond Retired Teachers Association. Miss Sutton was also a member of Reveille United Methodist Church.

Left to cherish her memory are her nieces, Nancy Russler (Jac) of Fredericksburg, Sue Baxter of Tampa, Fla., Mary Frances St. John (Michael) of Spotsylvania, Charlene Turner (Russell) of Virginia Beach, Margaret Finch of Spotsylvania, Helen Reid (James) of Virginia Beach, and Ann Popp of Portage, Ind.; and her nephews, Charles M. Preston Jr. (Pat) of Spotsylvania and Max Sutton of Louisville, Ky. Other survivors include her cousins, Charles E. Sutton (Rachael) of Richmond, Joseph Snead of Maryland, Elizabeth Nye (William) of Dublin, Va. and Mary Clare Skutt (Dick) of Lexington; and a host of great-nieces and great-nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sisters, Margaret Sutton, Evelyn S. Straughan and Frances Preston; her brothers, Mack Sutton and Charles W. Sutton; and a nephew, Robert Straughan.

Miss Sutton enriched every life that had the good fortune to touch hers. Her legacy will live on in the beautiful works of art and jewelry that she created and through her students. She liked to say that her mother said that she was made of pig iron an appropriate comparison given the resilient and independent life that she lead.
The family would like to thank the caregivers of Senior Solutions of Richmond and Hospice community Care for the loving attention and care shown Miss Sutton for the past year.

A funeral service will be held 4:30 p.m. Thursday, December 6, 2007 in the chapel of Reveille United Methodist Church with the family to receive visitors from 3 to 4:30 p.m. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, December 7, 2007 in Sunrise Burial Gardens in Radford, Va. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Visual Arts Center of Richmond in honor of Doris Sutton or to Hospice Community Care. The Central Chapel of Bennett Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.