Mary Ellen Sutliff
January 8, 1923 — February 23, 2019
Mary Ellen (Winn) Sutliff, the daughter of Iver and Minnie (Lampher) Winn, was born on January 8, 1923 in Willows, CA. She grew up in California and graduated as a part of the class of 1941 from Princeton High School in Princeton, CA, a little town north of Sacramento. Right out of high school, Mary Ellen married the late Ralph Sutliff. The two made their home in Los Angeles, CA where they gave birth to 3 children; Carol Ann, Ralph, and Judy. Mary Ellen worked in LA repairing and assembling telephones for Western Electric. She would retire from there after 31 years of dedicated service. While living in LA, Mary Ellen and Ralph divorced, and she remarried Warren Sutliff in 1967. Warren passed away in 1987.
After Warren passed away, Mary Ellen spent time traveling to visit family. It ultimately led to her decision to move to Vail, IA in 1996. She asked her daughter Judy if she could come live next door and help take care of her kids. Family was everything to Mary Ellen. She loved knitting, reading, hockey, doing crossword puzzles and word searches, but no hobby could compare to the time she spent with her family. If there was a family gathering, or an idea of having a family gathering, Mary Ellen was the one who would volunteer to host the party. So much joy came to her when her family would come visit. Her house was ideal for a gathering, as well, having an open-space floor plan. So much of who Mary Ellen was circles around her family. She loved her family dearly, and she was everything to her family.
On Saturday, February 23, 2019, Mary Ellen passed away at Crawford County Hospital in Denison, with family by her side. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Ralph Sutliff and Warren Sutliff; her daughter, Carol Ann Hamilton; and her siblings, Robert Winn, Barbara Ewart, Faye James, and June Reyes. Mary Ellen is survived by her children, Ralph Sutliff and his wife Julie of Salinas, CA, and Judy Cross and her husband Ray of Vail, IA; 7 grandchildren, Tony Thornock and his wife Lori, Teresa Thornock, Sandy Krajicek and her husband Bobby, Shawn Hamilton and his wife Sandra, Amber Hamilton-Ruh and her husband Chris, Phillip Sutliff, and Lauren Sutliff; 12 great-grandchildren, Jammy Thornock, Darrin Thornock, Jill Krajicek, Trishina Thornock, Mary Lynne Thornock, Christopher Thornock, Monica Hamilton, Alyssa Hamilton, Justin Hamilton, Harlan Hamilton-Ruh, Ian Sutliff, and Ethan Thornock; 16 great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
After Warren passed away, Mary Ellen spent time traveling to visit family. It ultimately led to her decision to move to Vail, IA in 1996. She asked her daughter Judy if she could come live next door and help take care of her kids. Family was everything to Mary Ellen. She loved knitting, reading, hockey, doing crossword puzzles and word searches, but no hobby could compare to the time she spent with her family. If there was a family gathering, or an idea of having a family gathering, Mary Ellen was the one who would volunteer to host the party. So much joy came to her when her family would come visit. Her house was ideal for a gathering, as well, having an open-space floor plan. So much of who Mary Ellen was circles around her family. She loved her family dearly, and she was everything to her family.
On Saturday, February 23, 2019, Mary Ellen passed away at Crawford County Hospital in Denison, with family by her side. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husbands, Ralph Sutliff and Warren Sutliff; her daughter, Carol Ann Hamilton; and her siblings, Robert Winn, Barbara Ewart, Faye James, and June Reyes. Mary Ellen is survived by her children, Ralph Sutliff and his wife Julie of Salinas, CA, and Judy Cross and her husband Ray of Vail, IA; 7 grandchildren, Tony Thornock and his wife Lori, Teresa Thornock, Sandy Krajicek and her husband Bobby, Shawn Hamilton and his wife Sandra, Amber Hamilton-Ruh and her husband Chris, Phillip Sutliff, and Lauren Sutliff; 12 great-grandchildren, Jammy Thornock, Darrin Thornock, Jill Krajicek, Trishina Thornock, Mary Lynne Thornock, Christopher Thornock, Monica Hamilton, Alyssa Hamilton, Justin Hamilton, Harlan Hamilton-Ruh, Ian Sutliff, and Ethan Thornock; 16 great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
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