Colonel Earl Sutton II US Army Retired, 68, of Madison passed away peacefully on Monday (August 10, 2020) at Huntsville Hospital accompanied by his loving spouse. A brief memorial celebration period for family and friends will be hosted locally at Spry Funeral Home located at 2411 Memorial Parkway NW, Huntsville, Alabama on Sunday, August 16, 2020 between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 PM. This will be followed by a tribute in the Jacksonville, Florida beach area where his ashes will be fittingly released in the September – October timeframe.
Colonel Sutton is survived by his wife Janice V. Sutton of Madison, Alabama; his children Earl Sutton III (Jenny), Caitlin Nies (David), Kevin Sutton, Zachary Sutton and Jon Tillman (Stephanie), and beloved grandchildren Jack, Abbey, Evan, and Wyatt. Siblings include his sister Kathleen Sutton, brother, Brian Sutton, and niece Maggie.
Colonel Sutton was a highly decorated US Army soldier and officer who proudly and selflessly devoted over twenty-seven years of active duty service in defense of our great nation. Born on December 30, 1951 in Junction City, Kansas, he was the first-born son to the late Colonel Earl Sutton and Kathleen Virginia Sutton. After growing up in South Florida and graduating from college, he followed his father’s example by enlisting in the Army in 1975. He quickly rose through the Army ranks with grit and determination from Private to Sergeant as a Nike Hercules soldier in Korea and by 1977 earned a Second Lieutenant’s Commission.
He subsequently served four and one-half years in Germany in critical HAWK Air Defense positions, culminating in HAWK Battery Command. He understood Army life as a soldier and NCO, committing himself to continuous development of soldiers’ skills, dedicated to improving their welfare and quality of life throughout his career. Subsequent choice assignments covered the gambit of schools teaching him the art of war, staff principles, operations and logistics. He returned to Germany as a Surface to Air Missile (SAM) Staff Officer for the Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force, making direct contributions to the Air Defense Plan for Northern Turkey in the event of a War in the Gulf. By 1991, the Army recognized Colonel Sutton’s tactical, technical and operational experience and he became one of the first Acquisition Corps selectees and was immediately fast tracked into a succession of assignments including the Corps SAM Project Office, Defense Systems Management College, accelerated Master’s Degree study and a tour in the Pentagon as the PATRIOT Systems Program Coordinator. In 1996, Colonel Sutton was Board Selected for Product Manager of the Improved Target Acquisition System (ITAS) for the TOW missile located at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Here, he lead a Team of dedicated professionals who tirelessly worked together to field ITAS to the famed 82nd Airborne Division.
Colonel Sutton’s last assignment in the Army began in 1999 when he was selected as the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) Director for Test & Evaluation (T&E) for the National Missile Defense (NMD) program that would evolve into today’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) sponsored Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, providing critical missile defense of our cherished homeland. He excelled in providing an astounding string of early test successes highlighted by five (5) intercepts out of the first seven (7) GMD Initial Flight Tests (IFTs). Throughout his selfless career, Colonel Sutton demonstrated the Army brought higher purpose to his life – service to his country. He retired from the Army he loved on February 28, 2003 dedicating his remaining few work years to private industry
Colonel Sutton’s decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Meritorious Service Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, Army Parachutist Badge, and numerous other service medals and ribbons.
For all who know knew this beloved man he will be dearly missed. He was committed without reservation and worked relentlessly until his final six months on this earth. He always enjoyed running, completing multiple marathons while placing among top contenders in his age group, he played the piano with skill and passion and he enjoyed cooking healthy and incredibly delicious meals and recipes, Some may think he passed before his time, but in reality, he lived twice the life most of us will ever experience. All of us who love you will hold you in our hearts forever.
