Remembering the inimitable Carolyn Card Sutton (1946 – 2025)
Carolyn Sutton moved through the world with curiosity, conviction, and a knack for showing up exactly where she was needed. In East Falls, she was a fixture—an unmistakable presence at meetings, cleanups, charrettes, concerts, block parties, and neighborhood gatherings of every kind. Wherever things were happening, Carolyn was there: asking smart questions, offering informed opinions, bold ideas, and “insider” scoop that was often very illuminating.
She had her colorful nicknames (eg Scout, Cardi, the Hawk Stalker), but above all, she was Carolyn: brilliant, quirky, utterly original. She had a rare gift for remembering not just facts but all the important context. When Carolyn spoke, she didn’t just give the facts, she knew the backstory! She could tell you what was tried before, why it didn’t work, who the different “camps” were and various truces and agreements worked out over the years.
Literally every important debate, every key decision, every deal, every gripe — if it happened in East Falls, Carolyn remembered the decisions and debates that had shaped the neighborhood across generations. Her institutional memory went back before she moved here in the 80’s, as she was passionate about local history. Carolyn could point to old Civil War emplacements in the woods above Ridge Avenue and describe the most likely line of sight from the original fortifications.
She could tell you about East Falls before it was “East Falls,” back when it was a Colonial fishing resort called Fort Saint David’s, where the Founding Fathers and their buddies would come out to enjoy a “boy’s weekend” on the Schuylkill. Carolyn collected old maps and photos, too. She knew who had lived where, which buildings were once factories, and what else had been lost along the way. She’d pepper her conversation with these stories, so whenever you talked to her, you’d come away with something interesting to think about.
As former board president of the East Falls Development Corporation (EFDC), Carolyn helped steer countless projects with vision and heart. She wasn’t always the most linear thinker—her friends joked that she’d spin off ten ideas before breakfast—but her instincts were sound, and her imagination was boundless. “She was an idea person,” said Gina Snyder, her good friend and former colleague. “She dreamed up all kinds of things—and I’d go make them happen as best I could. That was our rhythm. She inspired the work.”
Though she faced challenges, Carolyn rarely complained. Her focus was always on helping others: whether it was saving hawk fledglings, rescuing and rehoming stray cats, or supporting EFDC’s sanitation crews in the early morning hours. Whenever the riverfront flooded, Carolyn always had the first (and best) pics. And she was consistently the voice of reason at heated community meetings.
When PennDOT presented safety plans for Henry Avenue, and the meeting had gone in circles for 90+ minutes, it was Carolyn who finally spoke up for the room, “Maybe it’s time for a straw poll?” Neighbors eagerly voted to push past the Traffic Committee’s logjam. Her voice, grounded in knowledge and trusted by many, moved the room. She never wanted to be the center of attention, but she often made the difference.
In the days following her passing, neighbors shared stories, organized care for her beloved cats, and began planning how to properly honor her memory. Some sort of community memorial is in the works, and there are discussions of dedicating a sign, planting a grove, or naming a quiet corner of the neighborhood in her honor.
Whatever shape it takes, it won’t feel like enough to those of us who’ve relied on her knowledge and frankness, her hard work and her enthusiastic participation in civic and planning processes that have improved the lives of every East Fallser. Carolyn Sutton was an honest, educated, and open-minded presence. It was love for a place she believed in. And it’s up to the rest of us now to remember, to carry forward, and to keep showing up.
🙏 HELP A KITTY OUT! 🐈⬛
To this end, neighbors are desperate to find a new home (or even just a foster) for Carolyn’s last remaining kitty, a beloved senior rescue named Pippin who was part of a bonded pair that has sadly not been able to stay together. JULY 2025 UPDATE: Pippin has his forever home with a loving couple who immediately began spoiling him rotten! Congrats to all. 😽🎉💖
He’s currently at ACCT, where frankly shelter living is no good for him. He’s a big ole smush with a heart of gold, saved from the streets where Carolyn found him in 2016 covered in candlewax. If you have room for this lovable tux in your life, please consider giving him the golden years he deserves after losing his two best friends. 💔💔💔
Other Ways To Honor Carolyn Sutton:
- If you can’t take an animal in, help an animal out when you see pets or wildlife in distress,
- Don’t use rat poison! Hawks and other birds of prey can die from eating contaminated prey.
- Attend a community meeting. Find your area’s “RCO” and sign up for communications,
- Attend a community event: a local performance, a business opening, a pop-up market, open artist studios (you get the idea),
- Learn to appreciate your neighborhood’s unique historical, architectural, and natural assets.
Donations in her memory can be made to:
- Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) or by mail: PAWS via Donor Services, 100 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
- Philadelphia Metro Wildlife Center, 2815 Township Line Rd, Norristown, PA, 19403
- East Falls River Landing via EFDC at discovereastfalls.org
Carolyn’s legacy lives on in the many lives she touched with her passion and kindness. Carolyn is survived by her brother, Edwin Sutton of Orcas Island, WA; nephews Jim, Chris, and Scott; cousins Robin W. Yeaton Woo, Lisa Yeaton Alaoui, and Robert S. Worthington; her former husband, Edward Bottone; and a wide circle of friends who will forever remember her wit, tenacity, and generous heart.
She will be dearly missed.
A Celebration of Life event will be held Sunday, September 7th at The Fallser Club. Details to follow. All welcome.
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