Funeral services for William Charles ("Chuck") Sutlive, Jr., 59, of El Paso, TX, were held Sunday, September 16, 2012, at Peaceful Garden Funeral Home in Pecos, TX.
Born March 5, 1953 in Marshall, Texas, the son of Robbie (Fort) Sutlive and William Charles Sutlive, Sr., Chuck passed away Friday, September 14, 2012 at Kindred Hospital in El Paso, Texas, following an extended bout with diabetes and complications from that disease. Interment was in Mt. Evergreen Cemetery in Pecos, where several members of his wife's family are buried.
He was preceded in death by his father and his grandparents. His mother, Sutlive, Robbie Jewel Fort, 1929- , worked with Dr. V.M. Holland on the historical records of East Texas. She is a member of Daughters of Texas Republic, United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). Her major work was her own family: "Robbie Fort Sutlive's genealogical collection." Contents: v. 1. James Sutlive and his descendants - v. 2. John Wesley Sutlive and his descendants, 1789 forward - v. 3. California J. Sutlive, daughter of John Wesley Sutlive, Sr. - v. 4. Mary (Polly) Catherine Sutlive Nading. Her research into the Sutlive, Nading, Moore, Gray, Henderson, and related families. She also complied three other works related to her family interests:
Register of deaths, Panola County, Texas, 1903-1917 Sutlive, Robbie Jewel Fort, 1929-
Walnut Springs Baptist Church and cemetery Sutlive, Robbie Jewel Fort, 1929-
Walnut Springs Cemetery Sutlive, Robbie Jewel Fort, 1929-
Mr. Sutlive attended Carthage Public Schools and graduated from Karnack High School in Karnack, TX with the class of 1972. He graduated from Panola College and attended Stephen F. Austin University for three semesters, majoring in journalism.
Chuck was exceptionally talented in writing and enjoyed covering sports events.
He worked in various capacities for several newspapers in Texas and Louisiana, including the Panola Watchman and the Panola Post in Carthage, as well as newspapers in Livingston, Katy, Marlin, Marshall, Pecos, Plano, Dallas and Atlanta, Texas. He also served on the staff of publishers in Vivian and Oil City, Louisiana.
He was a former policeman with the Pecos Police Department and served as a deputy with the Reeves County Sheriff's Office. He was employed with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for the past 15 years. He retired in 2012 due to complications from diabetes.
Chuck was an avid hunter and fisherman and was extremely knowledgeable about firearms. He was often contacted by other gun enthusiasts for information about the mechanism of all types of firearms. He was a very reliable source on that subject. He also enjoyed horseback riding and had received numerous awards in riding events while growing up in his beloved East Texas.
He accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour when he was eight years old and joined the Shady Grove Baptist Church, near DeBerry. He later united with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Marshall in 1975. Chuck had a strong Christian faith which he shared with his family and friends. He was a man of deep integrity and honesty. As a child, he would choose to tell the truth and accept his punishment, rather than tell a fib and escape discipline. Those characteristics remained a part of his personality for his entire life.
Survivors include his wife, the former Maby Hortencia DeLaGarza, of El Paso; one daughter, Briana Yvette (Sutlive) McRoy and husband, Casey, also of El Paso; one son, William Charles Sutlive, III; grandchildren, Alana and Casey McRoy, Jr., all of El Paso; his mother, Mrs. Robbie Sutlive of De Berry; and two brothers, Gary Lynn Sutlive and wife Dawn of Henderson and Jerry Glynn Sutlive of DeBerry; niece Cary Lynnita (Sutlive) Peterson and her husband, Jalon Peterson of Nacogdoches; one nephew, Derek Heath Sutlive and wife Kristin, of Henderson; numerous cousins and a host of friends who will miss him and mourn his death.
Pallbearers included Gary Sutlive, Jerry Sutlive, William Charles Sutlive, III, Casey McRoy, Sr., Edel DeLaGarza, and Manuel DeLaGarza.
