Clara “Mae” Sutcliffe
Clara “Mae” Sutcliffe was called from above and as you can imagine went home without question on Monday, December 12, 2016 at Central Iowa Healthcare with her family by her side. Mae suffered a massive stroke in the early hours at home and was taken to the ER for care. By God’s Grace, her granddaughter Lindsay was working there that night. The EMS and ER Staff did all they could in the short time they had, but God had another plan for this good and faithful servant.
Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 17, 2016 at Mitchell Family Funeral Home with Pastor Karen Cluts officiating. Public visitation will be held one hour before services to meet with family and friends. Memorial contributions may be directed in Mae’s name to her family. Mae will be laid to rest at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens in Marshalltown following the service. For further information or to send a condolence please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call (641) 844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Mae and her family.
Mae was born the 11th of 13 children in New Baden, Texas on February 26, 1938 to Lee William Moore and Mary Lenora (Thorpe) Moore. She spent her entire childhood life in the New Baden area. A large family in those days everyone learned to clean, work and cook in that order and she fit right in. The family bond that she had is something we all could learn from yet today. She worked hard as a young girl together with her siblings in the cotton fields in Texas and that strong work ethic never left her side. This beautiful young lady grew up fast and she met Dean Brown at the roller rink while he was stationed nearby. The two married on April 2, 1955. Three children were born from this union, Craig in 1956, Cindy in 1958 and Candy in 1963. The young family lived in many places throughout the Midwest but found their home in Marshalltown in 1967. She was employed at the Iowa Veteran’s Home in town for many years and with a smile on her face would talk about those days gone by. She often said that hard work never hurt anybody. Mae and Dean retired in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where they later divorced. She reconnected with a family friend, Harry Sutcliffe, and the two married on December 26, 1987 in Texas. They returned to Eureka Springs and lived there on the Sutcliffe homestead. They both loved it there and had flowers to plant and vegetables to grow. The most recent years brought her back to Marshalltown Iowa, her true home near Candy, family, and friends. Although always a Texan with yellow rose and Bible in hand she was at peace, most importantly with herself. She loved life and was a true messenger of the Gospel. She knew God had a plan and she knew that better than anyone. We will all miss her honest words, her gentle touch, and loving hugs. We can only imagine what she will do with her new duties above.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, most all of her siblings, a brother in-law and sister in-law from the Brown family, Jack and Clair, and many friends.
Left to mourn her loss are her husband, Harry; two sibling sisters, Aunt Bonnie and Aunt Willie Dean; her children: Craig (DeAnn) Brown of Springdale, AR; Cindy (Jeff) Larson of Goodyear, AZ; Candy (Jim) Hunt of Marshalltown, IA; all four Sutcliffe children: Ann, Harrison, Ruth and Kathy; grandchildren: Wesley (Carrie Boyd) Malcom, Lindsay (Kyle) Kusserow, Abigail (Shon) Bradford, Samantha (Kyle) Opperman, and Alexandra Stanfill. Mae was also blessed with 11 great grandchildren. She also has a host of nieces and nephews that are saddened with her passing.
She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hand to the needy. Matthew 16:25