"Marvelous!" was the word Thomas Lee Sutton used most often to describe the moments, experiences, people and teachings that mattered most to him. On this day, Monday, February 21, 2022, as we say goodbye to this loving, conscientious, faithful, caring, funny and resourceful man, marvelous is the word that infuses our hearts as we contemplate his remarkable life. Born on June 12, 1939, to Charles and Virginia Sutton, in Marion, IN, Tom was the first of five children. Grandma Ginny would often say wistfully, with tears in her eyes, that the responsibility of being the oldest child was very real to him from an early age and he matured very quickly because of it. He loved the rural Indiana life of his childhood, playing in the woods that surrounded their home, skating on the nearby river in winter, and helping his father build houses, including their own; but his sights were set on the sky. Tom firmly believed in our human ability to better ourselves, and our responsibility to do so. When he didn't feel like he was a good athlete, Tom worked hard to be the best athlete that he was capable of being. He loved to sing with his friends, and they spent time perfecting the tight harmonies of the popular male quartets of the late 1950s. Tom graduated 5th in his high school class and was accepted as part of the third class of cadets to go through the new Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He thrived in the order and regimen of the military paradigm. He was a serious cadet, a diligent student, the tenor soloist in the Cadet Chorale, and a successful wrestler on the Academy team. Later in his career, he even returned to the Academy for two years to help coach the wrestling team and to teach Physical Education. Tom graduated 30th in his class of 218 from the Air Force Academy on June 7, 1961. He went to flight training at Williams, AFB in Arizona, and embarked on a 27-year career as a pilot of cargo planes and as a leader. He had two tours in Vietnam. For his service in that war, he was awarded several medals, including the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross. During his career, he was stationed at bases in Texas, Alaska, Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Colorado, Illinois, the Philippines, and Japan. He also spent time in Greenland, Turkey, and other places around the world. Tom achieved the rank of Full Bird Colonel, and he had many leadership positions including the Commander of the Inspector General Team, wing operations officer, flight commander, and group commander. He was a military man through and through, but he didn't fit the stereotype. He balanced strength with compassion and expectation with understanding. He felt a leader's most important job was to set a clear standard, inspire people to meet that standard, hold people accountable but also work with those who were struggling so they could feel the motivation that comes from succeeding. Tom joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while he was at the Air Force Academy, and he always said that this decision changed the course of his life. He loved the restored gospel with the understanding and light that it brought into his life. He served in Stake High Councils, Bishoprics, Priesthood quorums, Sunday Schools, hymnal care and distribution, even chapel janitorial work. Service was the key in his mind. Although he felt his strength lay in leadership, he accepted whatever role the Lord offered him. In his later years, he relished the time he spent working in the baptistry in the Provo Temple. Tom led a full life, but the part of his life that he cherished the most was his family. Everything that he did was ultimately an effort to provide for, to protect, to inspire, and to nurture his family. He met Mary Laraine Clouse while he was in flight training in Arizona. They married in the Mesa, Arizona temple on November 8, 1962. The first 26 years of their life together, they moved to new places every couple of years where they met wonderful people and had unique and fulfilling experiences. Tom and Laraine brought 8 boys and 2 girls into this world—Tony, Todd, Tim, Thomas, Troy, Trent, Thad, Lara, Travis, and Lesa. They worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for their children and to encourage them to flourish in this world and to build lives that would continue to flourish in the worlds to come. When Tom retired in 1988, they settled in Provo, Utah. One last example of who Thomas Lee Sutton was came about after he had a heart attack in 2006 that robbed him of most of his memory. He spent the rest of his life teaching himself about himself over and over again by compiling and editing his life story based on his journals, calendars, letters and photos. He would say, "I don't remember this, but I know it happened, because I wrote it down. This is me. This was my experience." And, what a marvelous experience it was. Thomas Lee Sutton— Born: 6/12/1939, Married: 11/8/1962, Died, 2/ 21 /2022 — is survived by his wife, Mary Laraine Clouse Sutton, his siblings— Robert, Don, MaryAnn, and John—7 of his sons, both his daughters, their spouses, 29 grandchildren, 4 greatgrandchildren, and many other people whose lives he has touched.