John Douglas "Doug" Sutherland

John Douglas “Doug” Sutherland, of Ellisville, Missouri, departed for his final fishing trip to heaven’s lakes on September 10, 2026, at the age of eighty. He was a cherished father, grandfather, uncle, and friend who will be deeply missed. Doug was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 29, 1945, to John and Marion “Elaine” Sutherland. Growing up near the beaches as the son of a naval aviator, Doug developed a passion for the sea and skies at a young age that stayed with him throughout his life. The family moved to Decatur, Georgia, when he was a teenager, where he attended Gordon High School and was an active member of the Glee Club, Color Guard, Mu Alpha Theta, and the Gordon Spirit Club. After graduating in 1963, Doug enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a chaplain’s assistant in Korea. When he returned to the United States, he was stationed at Granite City Army Depot in Illinois for the remainder of his service. During that time, he met Nora Jane Duncan at a USO dance. They married in 1966 and settled in Crestwood, Missouri. When Doug completed his military service in 1967, the couple moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he began working at Blue Cross as one of the nation’s first computer programmers. Nine years later, they returned to Saint Louis when Doug landed a job at McDonnell Douglas. The couple purchased a home in Fenton, Missouri, where they resided for twenty years and raised two daughters. Over the course of his career, Doug ascended to the role of systems engineer and worked for Storage Technology and then Sun Microsystems outside Denver, Colorado. He loved living there, and stayed for twenty five years, long after retiring. He was an outdoorsman, and the mountains, lakes, streams and wide open spaces of Colorado felt like home to him. He returned to St. Louis to be closer to his daughters and grandchildren in 2023. Doug lived a vibrant life filled with adventure and travel. His many hobbies included skydiving, hockey, softball, golf, skiing, reading, playing pool and bridge, and flying planes after fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a licensed pilot. He was also a talented singer, a lover of music, and an avid fan of the St. Louis Blues and Cardinals. Of all his passions, his favorite was fishing. Doug loved nothing more than being out on his boat all day, often alongside his friend of over 55 years, Bob Klein. Doug is survived by his daughters, Leigh Ann Cooper of High Ridge, Missouri, and Carrie Sutherland (husband, Brent Imhoff) of Fenton, Missouri; eight grandchildren, Jacob, Zachary, and Peyton Cooper, and Cecilia, Elliot (wife, Katie Follmer), Owen (wife, McKenzie Richars), Claudia, and Lela Imhoff; and his ex-wife, Nora Sutherland. He was preceded in death by his younger brother, James Louis Sutherland, and his grandson, Benjamin Will Cooper. A visitation will be held at the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Missouri, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. followed by a 1:00 p.m. memorial service and procession to Bellerive Gardens in Creve Coeur. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments (DGCKids) at www.dgckids.org/donate/. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.

John Douglas "Doug" Sutherland

September 29, 1945 - September 10, 2026