Obituary of William Finlaw Sutton, III

William F. Sutton, III of Fort Washington died May 20, 2017. He was 86. Born in Abington, PA, he was the son of the late William F. Sutton, Jr. and Clara Buechner Sutton. Mr. Sutton graduated from Abington High School and earned his BA in Mathematics from Franklin and Marshall College, where he was Phi Beta Kappa. He received his MA in Actuarial Mathematics from the University of Michigan. He served in the US Army for two years upon graduation. Mr. Sutton met his wife, the late Nancy Hall Sutton, while a student at Michigan. They married in 1954 and were married for 54 years. They settled in Abington Township. In 1973 they built a vacation home in Michigan on the shore of Lake Huron, where the family would spend much of their time. Mr. Sutton built his career as an actuary at the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. He became Chief Actuary at Penn Mutual. He was employed by Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company in the decade before his retirement. He was a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Mr. Sutton was a lifelong member of Abington Presbyterian Church. He served on the boards of the church for 21 years, and was also a member of many committees and councils. He was a member of the Abington Church choirs for 77 years. Singing brought him great happiness and he was known for his wonderful baritone voice. He performed solo recitals for the ACTS retirement communities in recent years, and sang with the Academy Chorale and Chamber Society and the Fort Washington Choraliers. Mr. Sutton enjoyed traveling with his wife. Together they visited all 50 states, and they took cruises to many parts of the world. Mr. Sutton was also a car enthusiast. He enjoyed driving and participated in road rallies, earning many trophies. Mr. Sutton was preceded in death by his beloved wife and his daughter, the late Rebecca S. Burrows. He is survived by his children, Rachel A. Taylor of Bethlehem, Kathryn L. Baker of Maryland and Steven W. Sutton of Hatfield; six grandchildren; and two sisters, Ruth A. Sutton of Virginia, and Lois V. Hill of Audubon. A memorial service will be held at Abington Presbyterian Church at 11:00 May 27. Where friends will be received after the service. Interment will be in the Memorial Gardens of Abington Presbyterian Church. Contributions may be made to the Music Program of Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road, Abington, PA 19001.