Donald John "Tee" Sutton

Donald John “Tee” Sutton, 68, passed away at Briarfield Manor in Austintown on February 8, 2024, after extended illness. 

Tee was born March 11, 1955 in Youngstown, the second son of Walter and Helen (Ratay) Sutton. He often reminisced about his youth, cherishing memories of running around the West Side of Youngstown and Mill Creek Park with his friends and spending Sundays with his grandparents. 

Tee graduated from Chaney High School in 1973, although by his own admission this was simply because the teachers were tired of him. Beginning in high school and for a few years after graduation, he worked with his father at Wean. Eventually, Tee took up an interest in audiovisual equipment and worked jobs at numerous local movie theaters, drive-ins, and stage productions. He met his future wife, Melanie Martin, while they both worked at Westside Drive-In in Austintown. He was employed at the Cinema South movie theater in Boardman for years as a projectionist before retiring early on disability. He was a union member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and a founding member for Cinema South.

Tee prided himself on his long hair, his big garage, and his ability to argue any subject regardless of his expertise on the matter. He loved science fiction movies, particularly the Godzilla movies, and movies that made him laugh, like anything with The Three Stooges. 

He loved listening to music, the louder the better, on his collection of speakers. His favorite artists were Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix, and his favorite song was “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. If you ever got to experience your favorite song being played on his stereo systems with the lights off and all of his lava lamps, neon signs, and colored light bulbs on, you are very lucky. 

Despite decades of poor health, smiles and laughter were his best medicine. He always got a kick out of pranking his neighbor, hanging out with his buddies, playing with anything that had wheels or made sounds, convincing his daughter that she owed him a Dunkin coffee, convincing his son & son-in-law to move his heavy stereo equipment around for the hundredth time, and spending time with his granddaughters. 

Tee loved learning how things worked, as long as he didn’t actually have to read an instruction manual. He had a soft spot for pets, especially his grand-dog, Lucy, who passed away 11 days before he did. He loved bonfires, cuckoo clocks, dumpster diving, Cherry Coke, and butter pecan ice cream. He was a loyal friend, a loving father, and a terrible monopoly player.     

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, David and his ex-wife, Melanie. He is survived by his daughter Stefanie (Nathan) Hudzik, his son Zack Sutton, his granddaughters Adelina and Sasha Hudzik, two grand-cats, and numerous friends, family members, neighbors, coconspirators, questionable characters, and partners in crime. 

Family and friends will be received 4:00-6:00 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 2024 at the Davis-Becker Funeral Home, 8536 Market Street in Boardman, with a Celebration of Life Gathering following calling hours at the Becker Family Center in Boardman. 

To honor his memory, the family is requesting that any material tributes be donated to an organization that was very near and dear to Tee’s heart, the Melina Michelle Edenfield Foundation at P.O. Box 34, Canfield, Ohio, 44406, or at www.mmefoundationjoy.org.  

Visit www.beckerobits.com to share memories and condolences with the family.