Cherie Sutton Pettit February 27, 1920 - March 21, 2008 Adored wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Cherie Sutton Pettit, died on Friday morning, March 21, at home, surrounded by her loving family. Cherie was a fourth-generation Piedmonter, daughter of Charles Zook Sutton and Amy Long Sutton and sister of the Honorable Charles Zook Sutton Jr. Cherie was raised in Piedmont and went on to raise her own family there with her beloved husband, Walter Fitch Pettit. She was the proud grandmother of Amy Clausing, Rusty Bacon, Adrienne Krumins, Catherine Tunney, Allison Arkley and Elizabeth Arkley. And, she was lucky enough to know her great grandchildren, Peter Krumins and Caroline Bacon. Cherie graduated from Dominican Convent in 1938 and was the valedictorian of her graduating class. In her youth she spent many summers at Four Winds Camp as both a camper and a counselor. After graduating from high school, Cherie spent six months in Europe with five friends and Miss Ruth Brown. There she chronicled her travels in pre-WWII Europe in a book entitled, "The Time of My Life" published in 2004. She contributed the proceeds of her book to the Endowment Fund at the Garden Club of America. After returning from Europe in 1939 Cherie taught tennis at the Berkeley Tennis Club for five years. There, on March 24, 1945, she met the love of her life, Walter Pettit, and just one year later, on April 24, 1946, they were married. Together they built a home in Piedmont and raised their three daughters, Anian Tunney (Peter), Lindsay Pettit and Cherie Arkley (Rob). Among Cherie and Walter's favorite memories are trips to Europe and Hawaii together and with their daughters and their families. They spent 61 wonderful years together - theirs was a lifelong love. Cherie was an accomplished artist, piano player and member of the Garden Club of America. She was incredibly proud of her contributions to the GCA where she served as vice president and director. In 2004 she was honored with the GCA Award of Merit, the highest award possible. In addition, she was recognized with numerous other honors over the years for her many contributions including the design and sale of a scarf that raised money for the Endowment Fund. She will be dearly missed by those who loved her most, especially her husband Walter. A Celebration of Cherie's life will be held on Thursday March 27 at the Piedmont Community Church at 2:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the Piedmont Beautification Foundation, 120 Vista Way, Piedmont, CA 94611.
Published in San Francisco Chronicle from March 25 to March 26, 2008