At 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, there was a quiet buzz in the SocialCenter at Brookdale-ScottsValley as more than 50 people gathered to celebrate Beulah Sutton’s birthday once again.
It took a while to light the 108 candles poised on 108 cupcakes. But daughter-in-law, Linda Sutton, grand-daughter Victoria Sutton, and the Activities Director managed to do it without mishap. Beulah sat in a wheelchair with her special friend, a little dog named Wally, sitting beside her in his own carriage.
Beulah was born on October 18, 1907 on the Saguache Ranger Station in Colorado where her father worked. Her mother was from a ranching family and her father was a forest ranger. Beulah and her two younger brothers, Lyle and Fred, grew up riding, fishing and camping with their father. She even had her own horse, Don Gill, who learned to open gates for her as she rode around the countryside. Her family was musical; her mother played the harp guitar while she and her two brothers played mandolins. They used to travel around playing at churches and at meetings.
Beulah earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology at DenverUniversity and taught in a one-room school for eight years before she married Dallas Sutton. Then she stayed home to keep house and raise their son, Dallas Sutton, Jr., while her husband supported the family and worked on his PhD in biology. When he became a biology professor at ChicoState, they moved to Paradise where they lived for over 40 years.
Beulah has been living in Brookdale (formerly Oak Tree Villa) since 2007, a year after her husband passed away. At 98 years of age, she had been her husband’s caregiver.
One woman commented that Beulah is very independent – she travels down the corridors in her wheelchair by holding on to the handrail.
There were congratulations and tributes to Beulah, several people saying, “She is always happy to see you and doesn’t complain.” One resident who sees her every morning going into breakfast said she advises him to “Eat pancakes and some bacon.”
There is a group called “Brotherly Love” who regularly comes to sing for the Brookdale residents. They recorded a birthday greeting for Beulah which was played. A lifelong animal lover, Beulah also likes to buy birdseed and candy bars. The birdseed goes to feed the local raccoons.
When asked to what she attributes her longevity, Beulah replied, “Lots of exercise and a helpful attitude.” A minute later, she added, “And don’t drink and don’t smoke.”
