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Jay M. Suter Harrisonburg, VA QCWA # 24640 Chapter 155 |
Jay Merlyn Suter, 87, of Harrisonburg, died on Friday, March 25, 2022.
Mr. Suter was born September 12, 1934 in Rockingham County, VA the son of Jacob and Mary Frances Shank Suter.
He married Geneva Emswiler on September 12, 1959, and is survived by his wife and one daughter, Carmen Suter Williams and husband, Jeff, of Mechanicsburg, PA; three step-grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Doris Bumbaugh; sister-in-law Margaret Wenger and husband Bill; and many nieces and nephews. Two brothers, Raymond O. Suter and Eldon L. Suter predeceased him.
He attended Eastern Mennonite High School and then furthered his education in electronics and obtained an FCC Radiotelephone Operator License. This led to employment in several radio stations as a transmitter operator and at a recording studio that produced the Mennonite Hour broadcast. He was employed by the Harrisonburg Telephone Co. (now Verizon) for 27 years. He was introduced to Amateur Radio early in life and obtained an FCC license, W4QDC in 1950.
He enjoyed this hobby for 70 years, as it allowed him to make new friends far and wide. Another aspect of the hobby was building your own equipment to contact other hams. His amateur license was instrumental in obtaining his first job in a radio station in Wilson, NC. After retirement he volunteered at the Harrisonburg Mennonite Church for 9 years where he installed a telephone system, did computer maintenance, and worked to improve the sound system. When the church was first built in 1972, he designed and installed the sound system to the best of his ability with the condition that the speakers would need to be invisible. Other volunteer activity included Meals on Wheels, The Gift and Thrift, and Mennonite Disaster Service in North Carolina.
He was a lifelong member of Harrisonburg Mennonite Church.
Memorial donations may be made to The Virginia Mennonite Missions, 601 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22802, or the charity of your choice.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 2nd at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church at 2 p.m. with Pastor Craig Maven officiating. The graveside service will be held prior to the memorial service at 1 p.m. at Weavers Mennonite Cemetery.