Tom Suttle

Thomas Riley Suttle, only child of John Suttle 1890-1949, a farmer then a well-driller; and Gertrude A. Roe Suttle.

Born October 17, 1915 in O'Neal, SC; died March 20, 1988 (obituary). Buried in Mountain View in Greer.

Married Frances Eleanor Stokes on December 25, 1938; their wedding entry, with a huge photo of her, appears in The Greenville News, 05 Feb 1939, Page 11. She was the daughter of John T. Stokes and Verna Elizabeth Clinkscales Stokes (who had passed by the time of the wedding). The married couple resided on Lavinia Avenue in Greenville.

Married Charlotte Anne Sprouse, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Sprouse of Taylors, on September 8, 1951. Marriage announcement in The Greenville News, 23 Sep 1951, Page 26. More info on Charlotte Anne Sprouse is found in the 19 Apr 1976 Greenville News obit for her brother, Clyde (p. 6). It gives her parents' names as "Waddy and Fleada Walls Sprouse." They had two other siblings, John C. Sprouse of Greer and Ted M. Sprouse of Tampa, FL.

Married Pauline Couch Hester, May 24, 1969 (Greenville County).

• Child: Deborah Charlene Suttle, probably born 15 Sep 1955, married to Milton David Young (The Greenville News, 23 Jun 1975, Page 16). At the time of the marriage her parents were divorced; her mother, Charlotte Sprouse Suttle, lived at the Wade Hampton Trailer Park. Her father, Thomas Riley Suttle, lived at 13 Botany Road, Greenville and had remarried (above). Deborah was escorted by her uncle, Ted Sprouse of Tampa; apparently her relationship with her father was not conducive to that function, and she had remained closely connected to the Sprouse family, as several others were in her wedding as well.

Tom Suttle appears in the 1940 census as living in Taylors, working as a mechanic at the Bleachery, and married to Frances.

He was drafted in WW2 on 16 October 1940 (draft card); at that time he is listed as working at Pacific Mills in Lyman and living with his wife at 16 Meadow Street, Lyman (still standing, in the Pacific Mill village). He was 6'2" and 156 pounds.

In his obituary, his career described as being at the JP Stevens Taylors plant; it does not list the swimming pool at all.

Suttle's Pool (Suttle's Puddle)

Tom Suttle ran a swimming pool on the Super Highway (Wade Hampton Boulevard) for many years, though it is very odd that it is not listed in any of his records, above. The first known record of Suttle's Pool is in the Greenville News, September 6, 1949 (p.3), which reports that it held swimming classes that summer. Miss Mary Ann Nix represented Suttles Pool in the Miss Water Pageant at Paris Mountain; unfortunately she did not place in the top three of the seven contestants. An ad in July 1960 notes that Suttle's Pool has a beautiful picnic grounds as well as a "dancing area." An ad in June 1961 includes a concession stand. Quite a few family reunions, school class parties, and scouting events were held at Suttle's Pool through the late 50s up until the last Newspapers.com article that mentions the pool on September 20, 1962. In July of 1962 a boy injured his head severely at the pool.

The pool was sold to the YMCA at an unknown date/time, which operated it for many years.