USAF Major (ret.) Virgil L. Sutton, 82, of Girard, died Saturday afternoon, Nov. 19, 2016, at Pleasant Hill Village in Girard following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Visitation will be on Wednesday, Nov. 23, from 10-11 a.m. at Davis Anderson Funeral Home in Girard. Graveside services will be held following the visitation at the Girard Cemetery with Chaplain Terry Link officiating. Military rites will follow.
Mr. Sutton was born to Earl E. and Mary I. (Fox) Sutton on Nov. 28, 1933 in Carlinville. He Married Suzanne Elizabeth Cernaix on May 7, 1955, in Munich, Germany, and she survives.
He graduated from Girard High School with the class of 1951 and then joined the U.S. Army and played in the Army band. He graduated from St. John's School of Nursing in 1960, then joined the U.S. Air Force and served for 27 years before retiring. He was an Air Force RN and traveled all over the globe.
The couple moved back to the Girard area in 1981. They moved to the country in 1989 and enjoyed rural living until May of this year.
He enjoyed playing his saxophone and played with several bands including the Carlinville Municipal Band, the Blackburn College Band, the Capital Area Band, and the Heritage Community Band. He was also a member of the Macoupin County Historical Society. He enjoyed trapping, hunting, and photography.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by brothers Wendell (Joan) Sutton and Henry (Karen) Sutton, both of Girard; sisters-in-law, Vicki Sutton of Edgerton, WI, Nadine Miller of Stoughton, WI, and Sandy Miller of Stoughton, WI; stepbrother, Jacob (Barb) Miller of Lawrenceville, GA; step-sisters, Hilda Bettis of Girard, Mary (Keith) Carter of Fillmore, and Linda (Gene) Lopez of Moline, IL; several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Violet Marie Sutton; a brother, Wayne Sutton; stepmothers Evelyn Miller-Sutton and Louise Wright-Sutton; stepbrothers, Glenn and Stanley Miller.
Memorials are suggested to either Pleasant Hill Village or the Macoupin County Historical Society. Online condolences can be given at www.davisandersonfuneralhome.com.
