Eugene C. "Gene" Sutton, 85, of Elkhart, peacefully passed away on Sunday, November 23, 2025, at Greenleaf Health Campus in Elkhart. He was born in Lakey, KY on June 24, 1940, to the late Chester and Marie (Oney) Sutton.

Gene is also preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Alice F. (Cole) Sutton; stepmother, Mollie (Noble) Sutton; and siblings, Tommy Ritchie, Elmer Sutton, Audrey "Vivian" Kinnard, and Lilly Faye Reynolds. He is survived by his children, Eugene "Clint" (Kim) Sutton Jr., Cindy Waite, and Angie (J.R.) Selner; 10 grandchildren; 29 great grandchildren.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Billings Funeral Home, 812 Baldwin St. in Elkhart. Gene's Funeral service will follow at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, officiated by Pastor Sean Fox. A graveside service with military honors will take place at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Osceola immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: (Alzheimer's Association, 50 E. 91st St. Ste 100, Indianapolis, IN 46209-4830.)   (American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Ste 300, Rockville, MD 20852)

Gene was a kind and selfless man who was always willing to lend a helping hand. He served proudly in the United States Navy.  He retired from Elkhart Products, where he was a machine operator for several decades. Gene was a supportive father and grandfather, lovingly known as "Papa." Gene cherished family gatherings both big and small, spending time catching up on the present, reminiscing about the past, and often imparting some future wisdom.

One of his favorite pastimes was fishing. He'd been fishing since he was young when all he had was a pocket pole, string, and bobber on a piece of cardboard. Gene enjoyed watching football (especially Notre Dame), baseball, and basketball. He and Alice loved to travel together and gardening was his favorite hobby. Gene's specialty was growing delicious heirloom tomatoes; he would grow enough to feed the entire neighborhood. He will be dearly missed by his loving family.

Alzheimer's Association
225 N Michigan Ave, Floor 17, Chicago IL 60601
Web: https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2?df_id=32112&32112.donation=form1&_ga=2.215826903.1722375487.16637

American Kidney Fund ATTN: Individual Giving
11921 Rockville Pike Ste 300, Rockville MD 20852
Tel: 1-800-638-8299
Email: contributions@kidneyfund.org
Web: https://secure.kidneyfund.org/site/SPageNavigator/df_id/tribute.html?don_tp=hon_n&_ga=2.192433322.16