On November 25, 2023, Albert Glenn Sutyla, aged 59, passed away with family close by, sharing his last moments with his soulmate, best friend, teammate & wife, Jodi. Also heartbroken by this loss are his children Christine (Stan), Sandra and Alex, his granddaughter Kathryn, and his furry friend Tynan.
Albert was born December 5, 1963, the youngest of Tony & Betty Sutyla’s five children. He met Jodi Slater of Teulon in January of 1986; he gave her a promise ring in June, and proposed in December. They were wed on October 3, 1987. Al and Jodi considered living in a few different locations, but his heart was tied to his childhood home in Ledwyn, so that is where they built their life & raised their family.
Al was, to put it simply, an extremely smart guy. He was an avid reader and absorbed information with ease. This gave him an advantage over Jodi when competing in their household tradition of playing Jeopardy. He had a talent for thinking outside of the box. He used this talent in every job throughout his lifetime, including autobody, HVAC, R&D, and maintenance. He applied his skills and vast knowledge when working on home projects, fixing yard sale and auction finds, and helping others.
He enjoyed thrifting, couponing, and entering contests. His biggest win of $10,000 got the Library Bandstand build underway, which was completed with community donations & volunteers. He was so proud to see this happen and to see it being used. Al was also a member of the Interlake Road Huggers Car Club, Riverton Chamber of Commerce, and Toastmasters. He liked to attend the meat draws and support other Arborg Legion events.
Al treated his property like a sanctuary for wildlife, and thoroughly enjoyed quiet country living. Summers were spent foraging morels, saskatoons, raspberries, and anything else the land provided. In winters Al would drop trees and gather firewood to heat his workshop, where he spent time tinkering on smaller projects.
Al loved to spend time with his kiddos. He liked to do puzzles and play board games with them. He would wake them up in the middle of the night to watch meteor showers, the northern lights, and thunderstorms. As they grew up, they all developed their own special shared interests with dad. His oldest daughter Christine picked up his taste in music and TV, with Buddy Holly and Star Trek being their favorites. They shared a keen interest in old hobby cars and thrifting for antiques. His second daughter Sandra shared common interests in yard sales and contests. She recently won them a special father’s day hot air balloon ride, an experience she will cherish forever. His favorite (only) son Alex inherited his passion of learning to fix things rather than replace them. Dad was more than willing to share his tools and knowledge in the restoration of Alex’s first project car. Although his kids weren’t always able to visit dad on the farm, he was always happy to receive a phone call from them.
Throughout Al and Jodi’s marriage, any ordinary occasion would be turned into a date, like dump runs, making pizza, or picking up the mail, but the best dates were simply cuddling on the couch. In more recent years, you could spot them in the convertible they restored, cruising throughout the Interlake, and sometimes in local parades. He was hard to miss, donning one of his Hawaiian shirts when it was warm, and his denim jacket when it cooled off.
He touched many lives and will be dearly missed by his family and friends. A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.
