June 12, 1930 – August 29, 2023

Paul Newcomet Sutro passed away suddenly on August 29, 2023 in Rifle, Colorado at the age of 93.

Born in Philadelphia on June 12, 1930 to Elizabeth Newcomet Sutro and Paul Wheatley Sutro, Paul graduated from Germantown Friends School in 1948 and Wesleyan University in 1952. From 1953 to 1955, Paul served in the U.S. Army, stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Paul met Xima Lee Long (“Sissy”) on a blind date in Atlanta, Georgia in 1960. In less than a month, Paul and Sissy were wed and had moved to Sydney, Australia where Paul opened an office for Reynolds Metals Company. For five years, he expanded Reynolds’ presence from first Sydney and then Tokyo and Hong Kong as he and Sissy started their family. Their experiences abroad shaped their sixty-three year marriage in indelible ways.

Paul and Sissy lived in Richmond, Virginia for forty years, raising their children and immersing themselves in the West End community. Paul’s business pursuits included metals brokering, yacht sales, development, and banking. He was an active member of St. Stephen’s Church. In 2005, Paul and Sissy moved to Carbondale, Colorado to embrace a new phase of life. He developed a love for the Roaring Fork Valley and the friends he and Sissy made there. Paul was immensely proud of his work as a mentor in the Roaring Fork PreCollegiate program, supporting first-generation students. Paul was an engaged member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Basalt. In March of 2023, Paul and Sissy moved to the Chateau Rifle assisted living community in Rifle.

Paul was defined by a deep connection to his Christian faith which grounded him in the world and his community. He was devoted to his family and loved his children and grandchildren, faithfully following along with their activities. His mind was sharp, principled, and expansive. Paul’s curiosity about the experiences of others struck all who met him. He enjoyed reading, conversation, and the Metropolitan Opera. He also loved art, classical music, correct grammar, vigorous walks in the cold, the Christmas eggnog-making ritual, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the written word. Anyone who was ever hugged by Paul has stronger ribs for it. He was kind, congenial, loyal, patient, and dry in his humor. He embodied a complex and elegant expression of East Coast conservative style mixed with an open-hearted desire to live in unconstrained ways, most recently in the mountains of Colorado. He will be forever missed by all who knew and loved him.

Paul is survived by his wife, Sissy, of Rifle, Colorado, his children Tripp (Gabriella Hamburg) of Carbondale, Colorado, Martha (Bill Noto) of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Tommy (Samantha Goodman) of South Hamilton, Massachusetts, John (Dudley Patrick) of Richmond, Virginia, and his grandchildren Evelina, Kajsa, Amos, Olivia, Wheatley, Lulu, and Avery.

There is no memorial or funeral planned at this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Basalt, Colorado.