Obituary for Teresa "Terri" Lynne Sutton (Thompson)

Teresa “Terri” Lynne Sutton (Thompson), age 70, of Mt. Vernon, Iowa, passed away in her daughter’s home on January 15, 2026, after a 20-year struggle with heart issues. 

Terri was born at 11:55 pm on December 31, 1955, in Mason City, Iowa, the beloved daughter of the late Robert and Mary (Herring) Thompson.  She said her dad was excited about the tax deduction for the year, and her mom was hoping for the first newborn of the new year.

She lived in Iowa her entire life. She was raised in Des Moines and moved to Davenport her junior year of high school. After her marriage to Phillip Sutton in 1975, the couple and their infant son, Scott, moved to Cedar Rapids, where she lived for twenty years.  She made a move to a “cabin on the river” outside of Mt Vernon once all her children were adults. There, she made many memories with family and friends. The home being small didn’t matter because most of her time was spent enjoying the outdoors, on her extensive patio by the campfire or down by the river.  In October 2025, she lived briefly in Springville and then moved into her daughter’s home in Aplington for her final weeks of life.

In 1996, at age 40, Terri proudly graduated Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work from Mount Mercy College. She used her degree while she worked for Four Oaks and at Mercy Hospital. Terri spent over 13 years in banking where she took excellent care of her customers. During her time at Hills Bank in Mt Vernon, she became a valuable member of the community through her volunteerism, and she loved coordinating activities with the “Friends Club” for their customers over 50.  After retiring from the bank, she kept busy working for Walmart in Marion where she brought joy to her co-workers with the Sunshine Cart, and to customers by sharing her sparkling smile with everyone she passed.

From a young age, Terri drew others in with her engaging personality and the “Thompson wit”, a trait that forces the afflicted to pepper conversations with clever allusions, insightful parallels and hilarious observations. This wit is not limited to the Thompsons, it has been practiced and enjoyed by the extended family as well. She raised her children to believe that the silly things they did were normal – like banging pots and pans outside at midnight on New Year's Eve to wake the neighbors and having a “Silly Supper” on April Fool’s Day. When the rainstorms began, she’d call the kids to put on their boots and go puddle stomping up and down the street. She always had a unique ability to encourage anyone of any age to enjoy the simple things in life and to create opportunities for joy and for fun.

Prior to her heart attack at age 50, nearly all of her favorite activities were outdoors; ice skating at Waveland and climbing the front tree as a child, running the BIX and exercising with her daughter, kayaking, wind surfing, camping, hiking, travelling and hunting.  She also loved assembling jigsaw puzzles, playing board games with friends and grandkids, and writing cards. Terri’s greeting cards were a special gift to anyone who was special enough to receive one. She always added extra comments, shared deep sentiments and embellished them with plenty of stickers that brought joy to every recipient, and probably the postal carriers. Her newest found joy in life was a love for birds. She’d encourage everyone she knew to listen to and watch the sonorous creatures of the sky.

Terri had an interest in listening to music, which she passed on to her two sons. They could talk for hours about songs and artists, as well as movies, actors and books they all enjoyed. She was the best listener with such a big heart that she inevitably became a surrogate mother to many of her children’s neighborhood friends who needed someone to just listen to them. She had an ability to always make people feel comfortable around and loved by her.

Her final days were spent surrounded by all three of her children and their spouses, and all four of her grandkids.  The family was fortunate to have the support of St Croix Hospice which was invaluable to them with such a rapid decline in her health. 

Terri is survived by her three children, Scott Sutton (Aki Kuwada) of Pearl City, Hawaii, Melissa (Jonathan) Koop of Aplington, Iowa, and Shaun Sutton of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; grandchildren, Spencer Sutton, Sylvia Sutton, Collin Koop and Whitney Koop; brother, Michael Thompson (Serana Means); nephew, Matthew Thompson and nieces Lana (Robert) Stanton and Shawnee (Danny) Schuller; aunt Karen Eberly; and cousins Linda Walters, Kathy Johnson, Cheryl Kuks, Randall Blanchard and Susan Blanchard.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Mary Thompson, of Des Moines, Iowa, and uncle and aunt Richard and Mary Thompson.

The family plans to hold a Celebration of Life ceremony in the summer of 2026.