BOMBER MEMORIAL

DIANE "GAYLE" DUNN SUTTON ~ Class of 1962
February 9, 1944 - March 28, 2016

~

Gayle was born on February 9, 1944, in East Cleveland, Ohio, to James Thomas Elsworth Dunn and Natalie Mae Henry. She died March 28, 2016, in Issaquah, Washington, after a long battle with cancer. She lived her life to the fullest taking care of all those she cared about and loved.

Her family moved from Cleveland to Olympia before they moved to Richland in 1949. She attended Richland public schools and graduated from Columbia High School in 1962 then attended Columbia Basin College. She worked in the medical transcription field at several hospitals: Kadlec Medical, Valley General (Renton), Group Health (Redmond) before she started her own transcription business, Specialized Transcription Services in 1988.

Gayle had married Gary Lynn Nelson of Benton City in 1965. She married Max Donald Sutton in 1973 after she moved to the Seattle area. They had one son, Patrick, and Max adopted her first son, Sean Thomas Nelson. Gayle was always involved with Max in their sons' activities, especially Little League Baseball and T-Ball as coaches and team organizers. One Little League team she coached took a championship in their division. They loved camping with the boys for many years. One special passion was her dark green Corvette that she loved and drove probably a little too fast sometimes.

Gayle started rescuing Chihuahuas with an organization in Canada then she became a friend and long-time supporter of PUP Rescue (People United for Pets) after its founding in 2005. She often took the dogs that were sick or unloved and nursed them back to a point where they could be adopted. She lived her life to the fullest taking care of and fostering over 85 small and toy breed dogs for the PUP Rescue organization. Sometimes she fostered as many as six or eight at a time plus several of her own dogs that she had adopted. She was a PUP icon. She represented all they stand for as a rescue organization and more.

She is survived by her husband Max ('57); sons Sean (Maria) and Patrick (Miyoki); two grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and many friends.

There was a Celebration of her life on July 10, 2016, in Issaquah. Donations may be made in her memory to PUP Rescue, PO Box 1691, Issaquah, WA 98027 or online at www.pupdogrescue.org.