Duane Suttles Obituary, Death – The unexpected death of Duane Suttles, the city clerk and manager, on Saturday caused a tremendous loss for the City of Grayson. Suttles spent his entire life in Carter County, Kentucky, where he also served as a volunteer firefighter for more than four decades and eventually became the Vice President of the Eastern Kentucky Firefighters Association.
Mayor George Steele of Grayson praised the professional capacities of Suttles, referring to him as a “walking encyclopedia” when it came to matters pertaining to local and city government. According to Steele, Suttles served on the city council for a number of years before retiring and then moving on to work in the clerk’s office. Steele described him as “a workhorse” who would complete any task given to him. “He would do anything you needed done,” Steele said.
According to Steele, there is no one with a better personal character than Suttles. “He’s one of those guys — you can put another in his seat, but he’s hard to replace,” Steele said. Steele says that he relied heavily on Suttles during his time as mayor and that Suttles is the one who is responsible for the leg work. Steele also discussed Suttles’ involvement with the fire department and the Kentucky Firefighters Association. He stated that Suttles played an important role in the development of fire departments throughout the state of Kentucky.
In reference to the fact that Suttles was married to Steele’s niece, Cindy, Steele remarked, “He was a good friend and an even better relative.” The news of Suttles’ passing was described as “just surreal” by Senator Robin Webb, who was a close friend of Suttles. Webb stated that Suttles was a close friend to her family, and she expressed excitement about the advice that Suttles would give to her son, Troy Combs, who will take over as mayor of Grayson in the near future.
Webb elaborated on the fact that out of all the hats that Suttles wore, “His heart was with the fire department and first responders, that’s where he spent the majority of his time,” saying that out of all the roles that Suttles played. His work in city government was a natural extension of his role as Mr. Fire Department, which earned him the nickname. Webb described Suttles as the epitome of a family man, citing the fact that Suttles had recently purchased a new truck in order to travel to the western United States to visit his daughter and his newly born grandchild.
According to Webb, “He was absolutely smitten with his wife, daughter, and grandchildren.” According to Webb, “Family was No. 1 and the citizens came second,” and he adds that Suttles’ love of God came in third. Webb remarked that “He loved the Lord.” “Even though I have no doubt that he’s in a better place, we’re going to miss him very much.