Longtime Churchville Village Trustee Don Suter was honored recently for his service to the Churchville community when family, friends and elected officials gathered for a tree planting ceremony in his honor.
“This tree symbolizes your dedication, strength and love for Churchville,” Mayor Nancy Steedman said at the tree planting July 15. “I am so glad that your family and friends join you today. In the years to come, your great-grandchildren will be able to sit under the shade of this tree and share the stories of the man it honors.”
Suter was appointed Deputy Mayor of the Village of Churchville on April 9, 2007 by Mayor Nancy Steedman and has been reappointed to that post every April since.
Don and his wife, Ellie, moved to Churchville in February 1958. Their four children — Jim, Kathy, Nancy and John — were raised in the community. The couple now has five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Don worked for Specialized Printed Forms, Inc., Hart Food Stores, Kodak and served in the U.S. Army. He was an original member of the ambulance squad in Churchville.
Don began his service to the Village of Churchville in February 1977 when he was appointed trustee to fill the term of Bill Attridge. He resigned as trustee in July 1981 then was again appointed trustee in November 1987 to fill Gordon Brodie’s term and continued as trustee until 1997 when he decided not to run again.
His sustained interest in the Churchville community continued and in 2003 he was appointed to the Planning Board as an alternate and subsequently became Planning Board Chair in June 2004.
In November of 2005 Don was appointed Trustee to fill the term of Dean Arlidge and has served the Village Board through March 31, 2015.
About his career of service Don Suter said he enjoyed working on planned growth to benefit the community’s residents, businesses and industry. He is especially proud of the role he played in creating the Village Office Campus on East Buffalo Street.
“You have helped keep our community one that we all want to live in and one that we are proud to live in. You are a man of vision, dedication, and the strong quality of knowing right versus wrong, solutions to difficult situations and this is all topped off with your courteous and caring nature. These are qualities of a man we all admire,” Mayor Steedman said at the event. “It is because of these qualities and more that we plant this tree and hope that through the years to come, the memories of the man it represents run strong. May future leaders of our community draw upon your knowledge and sense of fairness.”
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