Elizabeth Wiley Sutherland, a teacher at two Central Illinois high schools and a longtime charity worker, died Tuesday in her Wilmette home. She was 106.
Mrs. Sutherland was born in Toulon, Ill., on Thanksgiving Day in 1891, when the nation still spoke of “the war” to as the one between the North and South. The 12-page Chicago Daily Tribune then sold for 2 cents, and its front page was filled with sedate news such as the retirement of local police officers.
A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Mrs. Sutherland studied mathematics, Latin and business courses. She later taught in several high schools in Central Illinois.
In 1918, she married Walter Nelson Sutherland, who was city editor of the defunct Chicago Herald American and later became a reporter at the Tribune. They moved to Wilmette in 1935.
Mrs. Sutherland also worked with several philanthropic groups, including serving as the finance chairwoman of the Wilmette Girl Scouts, president of the Women’s Club of Wilmette and the president of the Auxiliary of Kendall College in Evanston.
Mrs. Sutherland often attributed her longevity to her Methodist upbringing.
“When she was 12, she took a vow never to smoke or drink. And she never did,” said her granddaughter Suzanne Kilner of Wilmette.
Other survivors include two daughters, Suzanne S. Miiller and Nancy S. Sampson; seven grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 17 in Trinity United Methodist Church, 1024 Lake Ave., Wilmette.
