Edward Joseph Sutliff, age 96, of Sugarloaf Lake, passed away at his home surrounded by his family on March 27, 2023. He came to Sugarloaf Lake through his marriage to Mimi Loretta Guinan in 1994, and while she preceded him in death, her family was also his until the end. What came before that end was a life filled with stories.
Born and raised in Detroit, Ed lived in Michigan his whole life--though he traveled around the entire country. At 18, in 1945, he joined the United States Navy in WWII at the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base. He was a member of the base band and played the clarinet and saxophone. He was proud of this service and remained an active member of the Chelsea American Legion 31 and VFW 4076, walking in every parade until he graduated to riding in the back of a convertible. Perhaps he would have preferred driving his golf cart with a beer in hand (he did love his beer), but we suspect the parade organizers would have declined such an offer.
He worked for many automotive companies including DeSoto, Packard, and General Motors. Ed was an apprentice carpenter and journeyman electrician and made $1.25 an hour. This work led him to discover his love and gift for woodworking and teaching. Ed was a teacher for Cass Tech in Detroit, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and finally the South Lyon School District. He retired from there after 20 years as a shop teacher who helped start the Build a House Program. Hundreds of young lives were shaped by his guidance and encouragement--and not just young lives, for Ed continued to create beautiful wooden works of art as gifts for everyone he cared for. He delighted friends and family with beautifully crafted jewelry boxes, clocks, chests, and other hand made gifts--to say nothing of the renovations he helped others make on their homes, buildings that will forever reflect his skilled craftsmanship.
Outside of work Ed had a busy life indeed. An avid bowler, he absolutely would have beat your high score. He liked war movies and followed the Tigers. Above all, he was a most committed and adoring of partners. He lovingly cared for his first wife, Fran, until she passed in 1991. He married Mimi Enos a few years later and found a new home within the Sugarloaf Lake community. During the winter he traveled across the country in his RV, taking Mimi and his mother-in-law throughout the south, along with many family trips to theme parks and historical spots (including one to Gettysburg that resulted in his brother-in-law just stopping the large vehicle on the middle of a bridge so that Ed could take over driving. Ed was just that reliable a guy).
But NOTHING could take Ed away from summers on the lake. In front of his cottage always sat chairs and a picnic table waiting to welcome a neighbor to sit and share a beer (we did say he loved his beer). When dusk arrived the fire would start up, and Ed told many jokes and stories around the firepit (few people could deliver a joke the way Ed could; ask anyone who heard his diesel fitter one). Ed adored laughing and making others laugh in return. He was a gentle yet firm and exacting man who found great joy in life and everyone he met--and everyone he met was luckier to have met him! Sixteen young people called him Papa, and another twelve knew him as Papa Ed.
Ed was preceded in death by two sisters, Mary and Shirley, step-children, Audrey and Shirley, and his first two wives. He is survived by step-children, Leonard (Darlene) Wells, John (Pam) Enos, Lynn (Marc) Keezer, and Deborah (Albie) Rasegan; and in-laws, Cathy Guinan and Dennis Wagenschutz. He is also survived by his beloved special companion, Sharon Mahan; great friend, John Phelps; and the entire Sugarloaf Lake Community. There is no end to the number of lives he touched.
A celebration of life will take place this spring.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
