Lela Corine (Sutton) Carruthers

Lela Sutton Carruthers died January 9, 2019, in Denver, Colorado. She was born on January 22, 1924, in
St. Francis, Kansas, and grew up in Wray, Colorado, graduating from Wray High School.
She met Dale Carruthers in high school and they married during Work World II in San Diego, California,
on May 23, 1943. When Dale discharged from the Navy in 1945, they moved to Holyoke, Colorado, where
they farmed wheat and corn and raised cattle. She was beloved by Dale, and they treasured and took care
of each other during their 42-year marriage until he left this world in 1985. Lela’s greatest joy was to reunite
with him in heaven. Together, they collected antiques and reveled in family dinners, card games, and gettogethers.
Lela worked as secretary to the Superintendent of Schools from 1960 to 1983. After retiring from serving
in public education, she ran and won a seat on the City Council. As a lifetime member of the Church of the
Nazarene, Lela volunteered her time as a church treasurer, pianist, organist, Sunday school teacher, and
board member for many years. Lela continued her outreach to the community by crocheting over six
thousand caps for children with cancer at the Children's Hospital Colorado between 2006 and 2016.
Lela loved long road trips filled with music and took pleasure in being a holder of history and memories.
She avidly read, introduced books to her grandchildren, and enjoyed crossword puzzles. She was a
wonderful storyteller and had a great sense of humor; people loved her for both. Lela and Dale were devoted
Christians and built their house to be a welcoming space for the growing Nazarene church in Holyoke. Lela
loved the Lord; she was a woman of faith who led her life according to Christ's principles.
Lela was preceded in death by her mother, Winnie Stiverson Sutton; husband, Dale; and her brothers,
Marquis and Lyle Sutton. Her legacy is carried on by her daughter Sheila (Mike) and son Kent (Becky),
her grandchildren Fonda, Kari, Kevin (Nichole), Cori, and Kala (Louay), and her great-grandchildren
Cheyanna, Kloee, Zachariah, Keenan, Laith, and Zaiden.
Her family would like to thank the caregivers at Brookdale Senior Living in Denver, Colorado, for their
compassionate attention to Lela in her final years. A private family burial was held at the Holyoke Cemetery
and a memorial service was held at the First Baptist Church in Holyoke on Saturday, January 12.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials in the name of Lela Carruthers be made to the First
Baptist Church, Holyoke, Colorado.

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