Mrs. Suter, only child of Kenneth and Lois Price, was born in Houston, Texas and spent her early life in Port Sulphur, Louisiana, near New Orleans. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, in 1953. After a brief career with Shell Oil Company, she married Frank Ross Stainton and bore two sons, Frank Ross and Kenneth Charles. Mr. Stainton’s career placed them in New Orleans, New York, Denver, Atlanta and Houston. He died in 1987. Mrs. Stainton was an active member of arts groups in each of the cities in which they lived. She was a docent at the Denver Museum and the High Museum in Atlanta always with the goal of broadening and enriching the lives of children.
As a long time opera lover, she became an active member of the Houston Grand Opera Guild, and served as Docent Chairman for a number of years. She prepared children for attendance at student matinees, and then began scheduling others into the classrooms, who did the same. It was, and still is, a very successful program. She also served on the Board of Stages, a theater group in Houston. During her tenure, subscriptions grew from 200 to 2500. In Houston, she also became an avid sailor at the Galveston Boat Club and won many races.
In 1992, she married Bruce Suter and moved to Scotch Plains, NJ. Mrs. Suter was a member of the Fanwood-Scotch Plains Service League, serving as President, 2005-07. During her early years in New Jersey, she was also active in the Newark Museum Guild, the Westfield Woman’s Club. Mrs. Suter delivered Westfield Mobile Meals. Mrs. Suter loved to travel, visiting all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Columbia, Cuba, Bermuda, Ireland, England, France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Holland, Russia, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and China.
In 2008, the Suters moved to Harrogate, a retirement community in Lakewood, NJ. There, Mrs. Suter was active with Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey, reading to the blind and driving disabled people to doctor appointments.
Mrs. Suter is survived by her husband, Bruce, sons, Frank, Milwaukee WI, and Kenneth, Houston, TX, and by four grandchildren, Ross, Katy, Joan and Tillary Stainton; and by her stepsons, Craig and Bradley Suter and their families.
Mrs. Suter was a member of the Roman Catholic Church in each community in which she lived.
Visitation will be Thursday from 2 to 4 & 7 to 9 p.m. at the D'Elia Funeral Home, 1300 Vermont Ave., Lakweood, NJ 08701. Her funeral service will be on Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the funeral home. Burial will follow in the BG William C. Doyle NJ Veterans Cemetery, 350 Provinceline Road, Wrightstown, NJ 08562. For further information or to post a tribute online, please visit www.deliafuneralhome.com
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