Reagan Sutton remembered as ‘good man for Lincoln Parish’

Former Lincoln Parish Secretary-Treasurer Reagan Sutton is being remembered today as a man who kept his word, kept his cool, and got things done.

“You could always count on him. He loved his community, and he did everything he could to make it a better place to live,” James Davison, Sutton’s friend and former employer, said Tuesday.

Sutton died Monday at age 87. He served as parish secretary-treasurer from 1959 to 1989.

Visitation is Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in the Temple Baptist Church sanctuary, with funeral services set for 2 p.m. Friday, also in the Temple Baptist sanctuary.

A native of Jackson Parish, Sutton graduated from Ruston High School in 1953 and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Louisiana Tech University in 1958.

The following year he began his career with the parish.

“He was one of the first administrators in this part of the state that operated on a unit system,” Sutton’s successor, former Parish Administrator Richard Durrett, said.

The unit system looks at projects, such as road ugrades, on a parishwide needs basis.

Tom Thompson knows about that firsthand. When he moved into his home in Vienna, the road to his neighborhood was gravel.

“I saw Reagan and I said I need you to come out and look at my property,” Thompson said.

Sutton did. “We have an asphalt road because of Reagan Sutton,” Thompson said.

Charles Griffin spent two careers with Sutton, first as parish road superintendent and later as a coworker for Davison Transport.

“He was a straight shooter,” Griffin said. “If he told you something and something went wrong, he would stand behind it. He wouldn’t blame anybody else. He was as honest a fellow as I ever had dealing with.”

Sutton was responsible for facilitating the creation of the Lincoln Parish Park, the detention center, the parishwide dumpster system, and the parish landfill, as well as for upgrades to the public library, health unit, and what’s now Northern Louisiana Medical Center.

“He laid the groundwork,” Durrett said.

Friends and former colleagues said Sutton was all business and fully committed to his work.

“He put Lincoln Parish ahead of the other parishes in North Louisiana,” Durrett said. “ He was a good man for Lincoln Parish.”