On New Year's Eve, 2016 , at Sacred Heart Hospital following a brief illness, Deloris (Dee) Bolen Sutton vanished in the night from whence she came.

She was born 88 years ago, in Jackson, Alabama, the youngest -- and probably the most vocal -- of nine children. Soon after her birth, the family moved from Jackson to the large metropolis of Bryneville, Florida, where Dee would graduate from Century High in 1946 before moving to Pensacola to take on the world. It was there that she met and married her husband, Billy Frank Sutton. In the ensuing years, she lived life to the fullest. With equal amounts of love, threats, prayer, and corporal punishment, she managed to raise two daughters. Her professional career took her into the nether portion of the night shift in the ER at Sacred Heart Hospital, where she worked as a Ward Secretary for 33 years.

Dee was quick-wilted, sharp-tongued, and fun-loving, and was a loyal friend and a wonderful Mother. She had the gift of hospitality; Dee's home, with its quirky furnishings and lighted palm tree, was always open to family and friends. Her faith was founded on the Sovereignty of God and the saving blood of Jesus Christ, which sustained her during a divorce and the death of a daughter.

She was predeceased by a daughter, Pamela Meersand.

She is survived by a daughter, Debra Young (Walter), Dothan, Alabama; a granddaughter, Emily Meersand, San Francisco, California; and two grandsons, Grant Meersand, Hawaii, and Travis Meersand, Colorado. She equally loved and was loved by a gaggle of nieces and nephews. They all spoiled her rotten; she was the last Bolen standing.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. The same can be said of caretaking. The family would specifically like to thank Juanita Wilson, Marian George, and Patrick Nail for always being on call for Dee. We are deeply indebted to the many people who checked on her over the years.

The family requests that flowers be omitted. As Dee told us, "If I can't smell them, then how does that help me?" As a lover of dogs, it was Dee's request to support your local Humane Society or Animal Shelter.

Graveside services to be held on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. at Bayview Memorial Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida.