Ian Sutton

Maker of mead with the wicked wit of an old Viking, Tulsa resident Ian Sutton, 45, died Friday, February 9th, from a sudden illness while traveling home from a business trip. Though a telecommunications analyst at BH Media/Tulsa World by trade, Sutton was better known for his laid-back approach to living and devotion to family. Sutton met his life-long love, Amanda, on New Year's Eve 1991 at the old Tulsa teen hangout, The Jungle. After initially ignoring each other, they were dating within three weeks and married in a year. In December, the couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas, renewing their vows at the Tanked Casino Chapel, followed by a round at the KISS-themed miniature golf course. They have two children, Zachary, 24, and Aurora, 16. A natural green thumb, he transformed the small backyard of his midtown Tulsa home into a garden paradise, growing more than 15 types of vegetables and fruits and raising chickens. Proud of his Norwegian heritage, Sutton mastered the art of brewing mead, often offering a pint of the traditional drink to welcome guests to his home. A consummate cook, he could wind the perfect sushi roll and whip up an award-winning pot of chili, taking home many first-place golden ladles from the Lanier Elementary Chili Bingo Night. Unfortunately, he never told anyone his chili recipe or secret to an amazing pumpkin bread. As a parent of children in Tulsa Public Schools and spouse of a TPS employee, he was often volunteering or helping out at schools. His favorite was running the balloon dart board at the elementary carnival but was quick to pick up a mop or broom for after-event cleanups. Born in Okinawa, Japan, into a military family, Sutton moved to Iran until 1978, when he and his mother left when the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was evacuated. His father was one of the Iranian hostages and released after two weeks. Sutton's family settled in Tulsa, where he graduated from Rogers High School in 1990. He graduated from Tulsa Community College in 2002 and then attended Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. In 1982, Sutton acquired a Commodore 64 computer, his admitted first love. He spent hours as a teenager playing games on the newfangled technology, with his favorites of Ultima and Wizardry. As a newlywed and young dad, Sutton worked several odd jobs as he parlayed his tech interest into an information technology career. Wanting to work with computer networks, Sutton took a job for six years with Neighbor Newspapers, which handled papers including Broken Arrow, Owasso and penny saver trades. Ten years ago, Sutton joined the Tulsa World as a network technician and then became a network specialist and moved into telecommunications networks for BH Media, after it purchased the Tulsa World. In addition to his wife and children, Sutton is survived by his parents, David and Linda Sutton; siblings, Joel Sutton and his wife, Ting-Ting and nephew, Thomas; Maria Sutton; Melissa Knuth and husband, Rob; Gordon Sutton and wife, Sharon and their children, Miranda and Gary. Also, survivors include his in-laws, Keith Anne and Ed Gaddy; Olivia King; Saraha Dennis and her children, Anna, Kaitlyn and Michael; and Charles Brant with his partner, Jennifer Smith and their child, Sage. They also raised a surrogate son, Noah McNac, who has a wife, Sydney. Visitation: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 14, 2018 Moore's Eastlawn Chapel Celebration of Life: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Thursday, February 15, 2018 The American Legion Hall Post 1 Moore's Eastlawn Chapel 918-622-1155

Ian Sutton

December 6, 1972 - February 9, 2018