Print Issue: June 20, 2002

Sister Roberta Sutton, CSJ, Longtime Advocate For The Elderly Dies At 89

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Sister Roberta Joseph Sutton, CSJ, died June 3. She was 89. She had been living at the Nazareth Living Center in St. Louis, Mo., since 1995.

A compassionate and tireless advocate for the elderly poor in Atlanta, Sister Sutton was known for her bubbly and determined personality. Born Jan. 3, 1913, in Green Bay, Wisc., Sister Sutton entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1934, and professed her final vows in 1940.

She taught at the former Sacred Heart School in Atlanta during the 1930s, 40s, and then again in the 1950s as well as teaching at St. Anthony's School, Atlanta, in 1957. She continued to teach in both Valdosta and Augusta until the 1970s. A bad fall stopped her teaching career, but she continued working. She last worked for Catholic Social Services from 1977 until the early 1990s at the request of Father Jacob Bollmer, then director of CSS. Sister Sutton and Sister Marcella Meyer, CSJ, both were honored in 1990 for their "exceptional personal ministry" by the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta, and were recognized with the Mrs. Fred W. Patterson Award.

During the years she worked for Catholic Social Services, Sister Sutton visited the elderly and the poor in city nursing homes and in private residences. She worked with utility companies to keep services turned on in the homes of the poor, and often was seen sitting in the emergency room at Grady Hospital, waiting for medical care or medicine for one of her elderly friends, or just simply visiting the lonely.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 6400 Minnesota Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63111.

Sister Roberta Sutton, CSJ, left, visits with an elderly Atlanta resident in 1990. Sister Sutton was known for her tireless dedication to the elderly, often visiting nursing homes and private residences. She died June 3 at age 89.