Ever the talented woman, Nina Sutherland danced and stitched her way into the hearts of those who loved her.
Growing up in Surrey, England, during World War II she spent many nights of her adolescence in a backyard bomb shelter. Later, she was drafted into the British Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as a “plotter” in Northern Ireland, keeping track of airplanes.
She trained in the 1930s as a seamstress in a shop off London’s Bond Street, historically known for its expensive boutiques and antique shops.
And Winifred Sutherland, known to many as Nina, loved to dance.In fact, she met her husband, the late Jack Sutherland, an American, at a mixer in England toward the end of the war.
They wed and moved to Oak Ridge, Tenn., in 1947, living on the site of the Atomic Energy Commission research laboratory. Sutherland arrived in Decatur in 1962, with her husband and their two children. She lived in the same Decatur house for the next 52 years but kept a bit of of her British heritage with daily tea time and her slight English accent.
Michael Sutherland said his mother was his, “lil’ general,” always giving words of wisdom and orders.
Sutherland died Aug. 9 at Hospice Atlanta from complications of congestive heart failure.She was 98. No service will be held. A.S. Turner & Sons is in charge of cremation arrangements.
“She was a really good supportive mother,” Michael Sutherland said.
She had a strong will and a passion for fashion and Vogue magazine.
She kept sewing for years, sketched her own patterns and was “very particular,” said Tammy Brittain, Sutherland’s next-door neighbor.
Downstairs in her Decatur home Sutherland had a sewing room where she spent a lot of her free time creating detailed pieces for her loved ones: handbags made of silk, pillows, clothing, dog coats made of wool, and what Brittain called “twirly skirts” for the neighborhood children.
About two weeks ago, Brittain said the fragile woman wanted to go downstairs to her sewing room, regardless of her walker. The two made the trip downstairs and Sutherland pulled out a christening gown she’d made for Brittain’s daughter, Mysty Connelly’s future child.
“ ‘Give it to Mysty when the time is right,’ ” Brittain said. “That was Nina, she was always thoughtful of other people.”
She had a unique outlook on life and was very frugal, having grown upduring the war and going through so much during that time. Sharing her experience with others just added to her uniqueness, Brittain said.
“I felt lucky my kids had the opportunity to spend time and learn from her.”
In addition to her son, Sutherland is survived by her daughter Carol Sutherland, both of Atlanta.
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