Max Sutton

Max Keith Sutton, 85, died at Butterfield Trail Village July 14th, 2022. He was born on a farm in Madison County, AR, June 3, 1937, to Keith and Doris (Long) Sutton. He graduated from Huntsville High School in 1955 and from the University of Arkansas, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, in 1959. He received his MA and Ph.D in English Literature from Duke University in 1964. He and Claire Hultsman were married February 26, 1960, at St. Joseph's Episcopal Church in Durham, NC. They moved to Lawrence, KS, in 1964, where he taught nineteenth-century British literature at the University of Kansas until he retired in 2004 as professor emeritus. During his tenure at KU he published biographies of W.S. Gilbert, R.D. Blackmore, and T.E. Brown, and co-edited an edition of Brown's poems. In 1993 he won the Bernard Fink Award for teaching, and in 2005 he was co-winner of the Langston Hughes Poetry Prize. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, where he served on the vestry and as a lay reader and chalice bearer. He volunteered at the church's food pantry and at LINK, Lawrence's interdenominational food kitchen. In 2007 he and Claire moved to Fayetteville, where Max published two books of poetry. At St. Paul's Episcopal Church he washed dishes for Community Meals and enjoyed the monthly discussions at Theology on Tap. He is survived by his wife Claire; a son, Stephen Sutton and his wife Ute Wittorf of The Woodlands, TX; a daughter, Katherine Austin and her husband David of Fayetteville, AR; a son-in-law, Kelly Rauckman and his wife Lorraine of Shawnee, KS; a brother, Bill Sutton and his wife Patti of Rogers, AR; five grandchildren, Emily Pemble and her husband Connor of Olathe, KS; Owen Rauckman and his wife Brooklyn of Kansas City, MO; Meghan Austin, of Fayetteville, AR; Mathilda Sutton, of The Woodlands, TX; Joseph Austin, of Fayetteville, AR; and several nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by their beloved daughter, Julia Rauckman; a grandson, Christopher Austin; and two sisters, Marjorie Dickinson and Jean Rumsey. His funeral will be at 2:00 PM on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, with interment in the church's columbarium. Memorials may be made to Magdalene Serenity House, Fayetteville; Community Meals, St.Paul's; or to Seven Hills Homeless Center, Fayetteville. Cremation arrangements by Beard's Funeral Chapel. Condolences at www.beardsfuneralchapel.com