Hurley B. Sutton July 30, 1925 - March 27, 2021

Family and Friends are invited to join in a Celebration of Life for Hurley on Sunday, August 1, 2021, from 11:30 am - 3:30 pm at The Bend Event Center, 910 Bend Blvd, East Moline, IL 61244. Food to be available from 12:30 – 2:00.

Hurley B. Sutton (Dad, Papa, Uncle Hurley) passed away peacefully of natural causes, surrounded by his loving family, at his home in East Moline, IL at the age of 95.

Hurley is survived by his wife of 58 years Carole (Billie Carole) Sutton, his daughter Denice Murray, his sons Bruce (Alicia) Sutton of Moline IL, Mark Sutton of Davenport IA, Daniel (Nancy) Sutton of Granite Bay CA, Steven (Michelle) Sutton of Wapello IA, Michael (Cindi) Sutton of Aurora IL, grandchildren Nacole (John) Carlyle, Megan Carlson, Jeff (Edita) Carlson, Andrew Sutton, Lilli Sutton, Sara (Patrick) McGowan, Logan Sutton, Aden Sutton, Connor Sutton; and, great grandchild Chloe Carlyle. Hurley is preceded in death by his parents Louis and Narcie Sutton of Pleasant Hill IL, his sisters Nancy (Grover) Hilgedick and Louise Thrasher, his brother Errol Lynn Sutton, his son Gregory Sutton, and his granddaughter Rhonda Carlson.

Hurley was born in July of 1925 in Pleasant Hill IL to the parents of Louis and Narcie Sutton.  Shortly after graduating high school in 1943, he was drafted into the US Army as a rifleman and soon after headed to the European Theater for battle. On Friday October 13, 1944, Hurley found himself in the midst of the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, one of the most brutal and bloody battles of WWII. His platoon suffered 100% casualties where every soldier was either killed or wounded. As Hurley would say, he was one of the lucky ones having survived. The years of medical care and surgeries that followed were not enough to save Hurley's left leg which was amputated below the knee. As a result of his actions in WWII, Hurley was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star, as well as various other WWII medals and accommodations. Hurley did not speak much of his firsthand accounts of the brutality he witnessed when only 19 years old, but the humble man often said he did nothing to deserve the Bronze Star he was awarded. The friendships he made from WWII were mostly with those he spent time with at army hospitals.

Following the war, Hurley settled back into Illinois and attended Western Illinois University, graduating in 1950 with the plan to become a history teacher. Not long after, he met and married Beatrice Grimsley and began a family in the 1950s eventually settling down in East Moline IL and having 5 children (Bruce, Denice, Gregory, Mark and Daniel). It was during this time Hurley got involved with the Illinois Cemetery Association. Hurley, along with his business partner Harold Michel, eventually purchases several cemeteries from Cheyenne Wyoming to East Moline; but, it was his love for Greenview Memorial Gardens in East Moline that allowed him to plant deep roots in the Quad City area, where he raised his family, and spent the rest of his life. In 1960, Hurley's first marriage ended, and in 1962 he married Billie Carole Barber, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with and have two additional children (Steven and Michael).

It did not take long for Hurley to excel in his General Manager role at Greenview Memorial Gardens. His love and passion for his job allowed him work tirelessly while at the same time feeling he never really worked a day in his life. By the 1970s, Hurley had established himself as the predominate salesman in the pre-need funeral business earning himself top state and national awards, a trend that continued for decades. Through his job and the contacts he made, he met and built friendships that would never end. Hurley was a friend in the truest sense. He was kind, giving, loving, caring, humble, and a true servant leader. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone, and always had wise and sound advice to anyone who would listen.

Because of his success as a top salesman, in 1972 Hurley was able to purchase a small "Cabin" at Lake Odessa in Wapello IA. Hurley truly loved spending time at the "Lake" and would spend hours upon hours on his pontoon boat fishing, entertaining and being the center of attention. By 1980, the small cabin was upgraded to a "Lake House", a special place the Sutton family still enjoys to this day.

The lives Hurley Sutton touched though his kind and gentle ways are far too numerous to mention. The unconditional love he showed to everyone he would meet was magnetic. The humble 6' 4" gentle giant was beloved by generations and will never be forgotten. Anyone who knew Hurley was better off because of that. He never bragged about his accomplishments or generosity. He would and most probably has given the shirt of his back to a complete stranger, while at the same time selling the person a cemetery plot, and then paying for it himself if the person could not afford it. Many salesmen tried to replicate the secret sauce of Hurley's success, but none were able to. Hurley was truly one of a kind, the greatest man from the Greatest Generation, and after when he was made, God broke the mold.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a private service for immediate family will be held at the Van Hoe Funeral Home and Greenview Memorial Gardens . In order to provide Hurley the type of memorial service he deserves, a celebration of life event will be held on or around July 30, 2021 at a place to be determined. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Hurley's life. More information will be available soon regarding exact time/date and location. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Disabled American Veterans at https://www.dav.org . Condolences can be sent to https://www.vanhoe.com The family would like to thank Alecia Pitman and the other caregivers from Good Samaritan for their care during Hurley's final days at home. To learn more about Hurley Sutton and his WWII experiences, visit the Veterans History Project at: http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.80239/mv0001001.stream

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