James Milton “Jim” Sutton, age 86, of Elkton, Maryland, unexpectedly passed away Wednesday, November 8, 2023.
Born February 14, 1937, in Arbovale, he was a son of the late Herbert and Vada Gum Sutton.
Jim completed his high school education at Green Bank High School in 1955. Following this, he pursued further studies at Potomac State. After his time at Potomac State, Jim worked with the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. His passion for engineering led him to return to academia, where he earned a master’s degree in mathematics from West Virginia University. Not stopping there, Jim furthered his education in statistics at Virginia Polytech- nic Institute. He later pursued obtaining his Certified Financial Planning certification at University of Dela-ware.
Jim met the love of his life on a sailboat in the Caribbean; they later married and were together for 55 years. He epitomized the wedding vow “of in sickness and in health” by having been his wife’s primary care giver for several decades.
For 20+ years, Jim worked at Hercules. He also taught Statistics as an adjunct professor for many years at Widener University, Wesleyan, Wilmington College and Del Tech. Employment with Hercules is what brought Jim and his wife, Marge, to Elkton from Frostburg, Maryland, in 1976 with their two young children, Nicolette (b. 1969) and Nicole (b. 1971). After his career with Hercules, Jim worked for the State of Delaware in DHSS, Information Resource Management (IRM) and one of the IT applications he designed is still in use today.
Jim spent his life giving back. It was his love language, as a man of few words, he selflessly volunteered probably tens of thousands of hours. He started his work in the Outreach Program at Newark United Methodist Church in the late 70s and continued through the 90s. During this time, Jim sponsored refugee families from Southeast Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. He worked one weekend a month with Contact, a crisis hotline in Delaware. Jim volunteered with Prime Immigration Ministry, an organi- zation which provides affordable or free services to ensure safe and legal services for non-citizens seeking citizenship. He was also involved with Love Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps to meet unmet needs in the community, by moving furniture every weekend for the newly non-homeless.
In 2008, Jim was one of five recipients in Delaware nominated for the Jefferson Award. The award is given annually in the United States for extraordinary public service.
Jim’s love for numbers led him to volunteer with AARP in helping prepare taxes. He also did this for many family members and those in his local community.
Jim is survived by daughters, Nicolette Shuhart and Nicole McClelland; grandchildren, Amanda Finley, Marqueritta Shuhart, Kyle Dixon, Madeline Shuhart and Alexis McClelland; great-grandchildren, Sophia Finley and Aubrey Anne Collins; and Avianna Collins, whom he considered his great-grandchild, too.
Jim came from a large family his brothers and sisters including, Alan Sutton (d. 2010), Judy Maxwell (d. 2009), Mary Ruth Sutton (d. 2003), June Hoyt (d. 2007), Alice Guire (b. 1929) (94), Clara Smith (d. 1999), William “Bill” Sutton (b. 1933) (90), and Ivan Sutton (b. 1935) (88).
A memorial service was held Thursday, November 16, 2023, at Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home in Newark, Delaware.
Inurnment was in Head of Christiana Cemetery in Newark.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim’s memory to the Prime Immigration Ministry, please make checks out to Prime, PO Box 5, Lansdowne, PA 19050.
To leave online condolences, visit: spicermullikin.com
