Obituary of Carol Sutton
The death of Ruth Carol (Watson) Sutton occurred on May 25, 2025 in Westfield, her home of 54 years. She was born in Hampstead in 1945, the fifth daughter of Charles Bunn Watson and Laura Blanche Watson, née Knorr. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, William Walter Sutton, and their children: Susanne and her partner, the Rev. Canon David Kierstead, Bertis, Robin and his wife, Kelly Sutton, all of Grand Bay-Westfield, and Charles and his wife, Gillian Bethune, of Halifax. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Robin’s children, Alex, Ellena, and Isabelle and their mother, Stephanie Lawrence, and Charles and Gill’s children, William, Thomas, and Benjamin. Mum is also survived by her sisters, Lillian Clark (Ken), Joan Grennan (Jim), Annabelle Walsh (Peter), Marie Loughery (Clarke), and Elizabeth Watson, her sister-in-law, Evelyn Sutton, and by many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her sister-in-law, Sharron Shanks.
Educated at Hampstead School and completing high school at Gagetown Consolidated School, Mum went on to the NB Teachers’ College and taught Home Economics in Sussex before starting a family. In later years, she taught grade one at M. Gerald Teed School and enjoyed supply teaching, especially for Dad’s grade two classes at Grand Bay Primary.
Mum was a consummate homemaker. A gifted seamstress, she made her own wedding dress and those of her attendants, her five sisters, and sewed clothing for Susanne from the time she was an infant through her three graduations from university, and for her two granddaughters, Ellena and Isabelle. She also enjoyed knitting, especially dolls for the grandchildren, and during the pandemic, she sewed masked Covid gingerbread boys and girls as tree ornaments. Mum was a very talented cook, supplying beautifully decorated cakes for celebrations and winning awards and serving as a judge at local fairs and exhibitions. At our home in Westfield, she was a great help on the hobby farm and in Dad’s gardens and made the best use of the harvest, preserving vegetables and producing copious amounts of jam and pickles each year. She enjoyed many sports, especially skating, swimming, and tennis, and she and Dad were widely admired for the smoothness of their skating and dancing together. Mum particularly loved the dances at the Orange Hall in Queenstown, where she and Dad could meet old and new friends, and where one Halloween, they baffled everyone with their performance as a mother and baby. Mum was for some years a volunteer with the Westfield Emergency Dispatch Service, a founding member of the Westfield Ukulele Ladies, and a long-time member of the Eclectic Reading Club.
Our family wishes to thank the RCMP, Ground Search & Rescue, and the people of Grand Bay-Westfield and the surrounding areas for their care and support.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Sherwood’s Funeral Home and Life Tribute Centre (506-839-2156), Norton, NB. A funeral will be announced and held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate donations in Mum’s memory made to the Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick, the Central Hampstead Community Cemetery, or the Church of the Resurrection in Grand Bay-Westfield. Personal condolences to the family and memorial donations may be made through SherwoodsFuneralHome.com.
