William Douglas Sudduth

William Douglas “Doug” Sudduth entered the eternal Peace of his Lord on September 8, 2023. Doug was born on May 5, 1936, in Montgomery, Alabama where he grew up. His parents were Robert Lee and Thelma Elizabeth Kendrick Sudduth.

Upon graduation from Sidney Lanier High School, Montgomery, Alabama, he joined the Reserve of the U.S. Marine Corps while he was a student (1955-1959) and concurrently earned a B.A. in Social Work; Duke University; Durham, North Carolina 1958, and an M.S.W. University of Minnesota; Minneapolis, Minnesota,1960. He then enlisted and served in the U.S. Army mental health services for three years at Fort Bragg, NC, and Camp Casey, South Korea. While teaching graduate students in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1967, he met his wife, Billie Ruth, marrying in December 1968.

Doug had a 38-year career in community mental health, working in Durham and New Bern, NC in the earlier part of his career, venturing out West with his family to Las Vegas, NV, where he worked for 3 years. He returned to Wilmington, NC with his family for 5 years before moving to Bakersville, NC in 1994, where he eventually retired from the mental health profession in 2002. In 2018, after 24 years in the mountains of western NC, Doug and Billie Ruth moved back to New Bern, NC, a return after 32 years.

They re-assimilated into the welcoming and wonderful community of New Bern, including re-joining Christ Episcopal Church, the New Bern Rotary Club and Doug continued his passion for photography, enhanced by membership in the Coastal Photo Club.

Throughout his career, Doug pursued a variety of activities and passions that brought balance to his life. He began small boat sailing/racing before he was married, even proposing to Billie Ruth on a small catamaran. He also enjoyed singing in church, community theatre and in local barbershop quartets. He described “choral and quartet singing as affording a creative outlet and sometimes, new, exciting, even scary challenges - it was a major stress reliever from the demands of [his] work”. Doug was also actively involved in philanthropy, where he served in local Civitan and Rotary Chapters as President and other supporting roles and he even squeezed in time for coaching soccer and baseball youth teams. For most of his life, Doug had an ongoing interest in photography. He’d always had a camera, however simple or cheap. He even had a darkroom, both as a bachelor and later after getting married, although with two growing children it was hard to maintain, with more than a few unseen photographs ruined by meddling children! He honed his photography skills in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC over the next 24 years, during which time, he exhibited in area galleries, entered competitions, and maintained his own web site. He said living in Bakersville, NC was “like living in a postcard, a smorgasbord of outdoor scenery across four distinct seasons.” He viewed his photography as a means to keep his imagination and excitement alive and well. His photographs have prompted many fascinating conversations with those who view them, truly confirming that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” His favourite “shot” was the rare lenticular cloud.

In recent years, both Doug and Billie Ruth had met and overcome major health crises together. However, in 2021, he lost his soul mate. Over the next two years, he grieved her loss openly and deeply because he loved her so strongly and deeply. All who knew him witnessed the embodiment of hope and perseverance, even as he bravely battled lung cancer to the end. He’s now reunited with his beloved Billie Ruth.

Doug deeply loved his family, was devoted to his church, loyal to his friends and was known for his authentic and accepting manner, honest sense of humor and excitement about life and people. He genuinely enjoyed the company of, and long conversations with, other people!

Doug joins in God's everlasting kingdom, his parents, Robert Lee and Thelma, brothers Jack and Robert “Bobby” Lee. He is survived by his sons, Mark (Rebecca) of Wilmington, N.C. and Chris (Helen) of London, UK; and grandchildren across eastern North Carolina, Nathan, Cohl, Mallory, Noah, Braelyn, Josh and Daphne; and in London, William and Holly.

A memorial service to celebrate and honor Doug’s life will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, New Bern, North Carolina, on Thursday, September 14, at 3:00 p.m.

Cotten Funeral Home is honored to serve the family and friends of Doug Sudduth.