Charles Junior Sutterfield

Charles Junior Sutterfield, 84, of Stratford, passed away on Monday, January 08, 2018. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, January 12, 2018 at the Church of Christ in Stratford with Jim York officiating. Burial will follow in Stratford Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 o'clock until 7 o'clock in the evening on Thursday at the funeral home. Arrangements are entrusted to Morrison Funeral Directors. Charles Junior Sutterfield was born on February 22, 1933 on a small farm in Maysville, OK to Charley Isaac and Lillie Maud (Clark) Sutterfield. He was the youngest of eight children, four boys and four girls. He attended school at a two-room country schoolhouse , graduating from the eighth grade earning Salutatorian of his class. He had a .01percent higher grade than Loretta Bennett did but his teacher said that it would not look right for him to be the valedictorian because everyone knew girls were smarter than boys were. Charles began school at Wayne, OK in the ninth grade but when his father began to have health problems, he quit school at the age of 14 and began doing the farming. They worked hard and Charles said they never had any money but they always had plenty to eat. They had fruit trees, a big garden, eggs, milk, butter, chicken, pork, beef, quail, duck, squirrel and rabbit in the winter months. They always had turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They made homemade ice cream about every other Saturday night and played '42'. Having a mother and four older sisters, there was always pie and cake. Charles' dad was whom the neighbors always sent for when they had sick animals and Charles learned a lot from this. In the fall of 1951, Charles came from Oklahoma to Hale Center and helped his brother in law strip cotton. Afterwards, he went to work for the cotton gin. He came back the next year, worked, and saved money for a set of rings. He went back to Oklahoma and asked the love of his life, Lola June Williamson, to marry him and eight months later, they were married on September 16, 1952. The moved back to Hale Center and worked at the cotton gin for 2 years before moving to Friona in 1955 with a month old son. They moved to Stratford in 1965 with their four children, where Charles farmed in Sherman and Dallam counties and sold John Deere equipment for 15 years. Charles developed cancer in 1995 and made numerous trips to Houston to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Charles was one of the first farmers to grow irrigated corn in Sherman county. Charles loved to hunt, fish, and play '42', which he taught, to all his grandchildren. After retirement, he loved hooking up the fifth wheel camper and going to the lake and camping and fishing for a week or two. However, nothing made him happier than having all his family home for a big meal and to play '42' and other games. He loved his family very much and loved to cook for them. Thanksgiving was always Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He was a member of the Church of Christ and will be deeply missed. He is preceded in death by his parents; one son: Larry Sutterfield; one great grandson: Korbin Kaberna; three brothers, three sisters, three sisters in laws and four brothers in laws. He is survived by his wife, June of the home; daughters: Charlotte Malone and husband Mike of Hartselle, AL, Rhonda Lewis and husband Keith of Clayton, NM, and Brenda Acker and husband Forrest of Stratford; one sister: Helen McVeigh and husband L.D. of Las Vegas, NV; a brother in law: Byron Vaughn of Amarillo, TX; sister in law: Gwen Williamson of Noble, OK; 9 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren. The family suggests, with gratitude, that memorial contributions be made to COPD Foundation, 3300 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Miami FL 33134.