Shirley Frederick Sutherburg, 94, of Jefferson, died peacefully at his home on May 19.
Born Oct. 24, 1923, in Durham, to John Frederick Sutherburg and Beatrice Merrill Richardson Sutherburg, he grew up in the Newcastle and Pittston areas.
Even as a young boy, Shirley was a hard worker. Along with family chores, he was hired to work as a farmhand. He worked long hours chopping wood, haying, milking cows and caring for the farmer’s animals.
Shirley joined the Army at the age of 17, just before WWII began. He served in the South Pacific Theater from 1940 to 1945. Shirley had a variety of positions, including cook and machine gunner. He also did some boxing as a private earning the respect of the men he served with. He had two brothers in the same outfit, Russell and Walfred. Walfred, just a year older than Shirley, decided that he wanted to be a paratrooper and soon transferred out of their outfit. Walfred was injured and sent to a field hospital, where a booby-trapped heating stove exploded, killing him and many others. This was extremely hard for Shirley as they were very close growing up.
Shirley was injured in battle, receiving shrapnel wounds in his leg. As a result of his wounds, he received an Honorable Medical Discharge. He also did a stint in the Marines during the Korean War as an instructor, also receiving an Honorable Discharge.
After being discharged, Shirley came back to Maine to build a life for himself. He married, started a family and worked at several different jobs. He worked at the Gardiner Winery, was a milk man, coached Little League, was a cook at Togus for a few years, and operated a small store with a taxicab stand. Then he moved to Colorado for five years where he worked as a construction foreman, then as a miner in the Climax Molybdenum Mine at Leadville, Col.
Upon moving back to Maine, he went to work at the Brunswick Naval Air Station, staying there for 27 years. When he retired, Shirley drove a school bus for both Somerville and Jefferson schools for 12 years before retiring again.
Shirley was predeceased by children, Lana Williams, Kevin Sutherburg, and Dean Sutherburg; brothers, Russell H., John F. Jr., Walfred F., Bruce M., Roderick V., and Byron W.; and sisters, Frieda Buckley, Lucretia Hassan, Laurine Grover, Geraldine Hassan.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Elaine Adams Sutherburg; sons, Tommy Sweetzer, Walfred Sutherburg and wife Laura, Lyman Sutherburg, Lee Sutherburg, and Kurt Sutherburg and wife Michelle; daughters, Sandra Wallace, Karen Deuso, and Dawn Amey; brother, Terrance and wife Dianne Sutherburg; sister, Roberta Humason; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.
A graveside committal service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Wed., May 23 at the family plot in Fairview Cemetery, Jefferson.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Shirley’s name to the Pine Tree Society, 149 Front St., Bath, ME 04530, pinetreesociety.org.
Arrangements are with Staples Funeral Home, Gardiner.
