Richard Carter Sutton

January 8, 1930 – August 2, 2025

Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather

Richard Carter Sutton

Richard Carter Sutton passed away at his home in Kirkland, WA, on August 2, 2025 of natural causes, age 95 years.

Richard was born in Hutchinson, KS to Earl Eugene Sutton and Keo Mary (Richards) Sutton on January 8, 1930. At the time, his father was a milkman and a car salesman for the family businesses. His mother’s father was founder of the Richards Scheble Candy Co. of Hutchinson, KS, and his mother was renowned for her chocolate recipes, including dark chocolate caramels, chocolate sauce and chocolate popcorn. The family consisted of Earl and Keo, and their three sons, John, Robert, and Richard (known as Dick), who was the youngest of the three.

Dick’s love of airplanes began very early. His family would often spend weekends driving to Wichita, KS where they could watch airplanes outside of the manufacturing plants. In 1941, after the start of WWII, Dick and his brothers were engaged to make war recognition models of airplanes to be hung in the “Ready Rooms” for Allied pilots.

The family moved to North Kansas City, MO in 1943 where Dick’s father helped build B-25 Bombers and later was a draftsman for Castle Steel Inc.

During High School, Dick took his dates to the Pla-Mor Ballroom where he could listen and dance to the big bands, including Les Brown (with Doris Day), Benny Goodman, and Stan Kenton. His absolute favorite, though, was Glenn Miller, whose music he enjoyed for the rest of his life.

After High School, Dick attended the University of Kansas, in Lawrence, KS. He was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He started school thinking that he wanted to major in Art, then tried Psychology, then Architecture, and finally landed on Aeronautical Engineering. He earned his B.S. in 1951 and an M.S. in 1958.

Richard and Elain

Dick met his future bride and love of his life, Elaine Green, in High School, but didn’t date her until college. They were married on April 20, 1952, later had three children, and lived to celebrate 73 wedding anniversaries.

After college, Dick enlisted in the Air Force Reserves and started active duty at Officer Training School in San Antonio, TX. He next went to Radar Maintenance School in Biloxi, MS, and was subsequently assigned to an early warning site in Cedar Falls, IA.

Dick’s first engineering job was with Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in Kansas City, MO. This job ended in 1960 when the division closed. Dick then went to work for Boeing Military in Wichita, KS and was transferred to Seattle, WA in 1962.

In the fall of 1964, Dick was asked to be part of a team of Boeing engineers to work with the German airplane company, Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) in Munich, Germany. There he made many lifelong friends, including Karl (Charlie) Knauer. While living in Germany, Dick and Elaine travelled extensively, sometimes taking their children. The family has many fond memories of skiing and New Year’s celebrations in Davos, Switzerland. The family returned to the Seattle area in 1967.

Dick worked on a number of classified Boeing military programs, which resulted in two patents. Most recently he is recognized for his role in designing the Boeing/Lockheed “Dark Star RQ-3A” which is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Dick retired from Boeing in 1991 after 31 years of service.

For pleasure, Dick participated in the Boeing Flying Club. He flew the Club Cessna, a shared Bonanza and after retirement, he built and flew his own Wheeler Express. He enjoyed flying the Express to Oshkosh several times. The Express was also frequently used for travel to Dick and Elaine’s second home on Blakely Island in the San Juans.

Dick was introduced to winemaking through the Boeing Wine Club. He made wine for many years using both grapes imported from eastern Washington (he’d pick up crates of grapes at the railyard in south Seattle) and from his own vines that he cultivated in Bellevue.

Dick’s hobbies also included photography (he incorporated a dark room into the design of his Bellevue home), woodworking, home-remodeling, and designing private residences. Dick designed the family home in Kimberlee Park (1963), Bellevue, and his retirement “castle” (2006) in Kirkland. His home designs were unique and often included recycled materials, such as the wood from the pews removed from the First Presbyterian Church of Seattle.

Dick was a 63-year member of Bellevue Presbyterian Church, raising his children in the Christian faith. He supported the church’s various ministries, favoring the work of Eastside Academy, which educates and cares for at-risk youth.  Dick served as a greeter and usher team leader, and he attended nearly every concert, as his wife Elaine sang in the choir.

Retirement provided Dick and Elaine with more time to travel. They enjoyed several trips to Europe, South America, Antarctica, and China. Their favorite place to visit, however, was Blakely Island, where Dick could watch airplanes all day long as well as enjoy the beautiful sunsets.

Dick was an exceptionally kind and patient man, never flustered and always up for an intellectual and/or creative challenge. He may not have always met with success (his infamous potato cannon), but was always hard working, energetic and a gracious host. His Thanksgiving poems will be sorely missed.

Dick suffered a heart attack in 2015 and a stroke the following year. His final 9 years were lived quietly at home, always remaining enthusiastic about airplanes, spending time with his family, and of course, eating chocolate.

Dick is survived by his wife, Elaine, his three children Monte Sutton, Melissa Nelson (Chester), and Megan Veldee (Mark); nine grandchildren: Emilie Sutton, Haden Reif, Gordon Nelson, Leocie Nelson, Dan Veldee, Kim Veldee, Paul Sutton, Amanda Sutton, and Tom Veldee; and one great-grandchild. He is also survived by his brother John Sutton (Dana) and sister-in-law, Jeannine Sutton. He was preceded in death by his brother, Robert Sutton.

Memorial gifts may be made to Eastside Academy at Give – Eastside Academy