LuRuth Sutton Arena

LuRuth Sutton Arena passed away on May 26, 2025, at her home.

LuRuth was born May 8, 1938 in Fayetteville, North Carolina to Lois Parker Sutton and Paul Leo Sutton. Her father was a civil engineer with the government and was in Fayetteville building an airport for what would become Pope Air Force Base. The family lived in Raleigh for a while, and then Mr. Sutton was sent to Tennessee to help create a city from farmland.

This new city did not appear on maps. At Oak Ridge, uranium was isolated for the bombs that were used to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Everyone in Oak Ridge thought that this new city was involved in the war effort, but no one knew its purpose. Nor did anyone know what anyone else was doing. The entire city was fenced, and one had to present a badge to enter or exit. Growing up in Oak Ridge was a dream for LuRuth. The government provided the largest concrete pool available at the time, and the school system was outstanding.

The family stayed in Oak Ridge for ten years. Upon returning to North Carolina, LuRuth graduated from Needham Broughton High School in Raleigh, and then went to Carolina to become a pharmacist. At Carolina, LuRuth served on Women's Residence Council, Women's Honor Council, and the Orientation Committee. She was president of Kappa Epsilon, a fraternity for women in pharmacy, and was tapped into Rho Chi, the scholastic honorary society in pharmacy school. She was secretary of the Order of the Old Well, president of the Valkyries, and was presented the Jane Craig Grey Award, which was given to the most outstanding woman in the junior class. LuRuth also received the Student Body Award from the School of Pharmacy. Her sorority was Delta Delta Delta.

After graduation, LuRuth moved to Durham to work for James Arena. The rest is history. They lived their entire married life, and raised their two sons, in Durham. When the boys were little, LuRuth volunteered as a tutor in math and science. As a young mother, LuRuth had her first “flare” of systemic lupus erythemetosis or SLE, an incurable condition that took away her energy. After a few months, she was able to accomplish more, and eventually had a 15-year remission. During that time, she took a course and became a real estate broker. But her lupus came back with a vengeance and stayed with her. The pain never left her, and the energy did not return. This person who had gotten 25 hours out of each day was down to just a few hours per day. Although she learned to live a quieter life doing less and less each day, she delivered Meals on Wheels for seven years and initiated a food drive at her husband's church. She managed everything except the muscle, while Jim did all the lifting. LuRuth was listed in the 1969 edition of Outstanding Young Women of America.

LuRuth loved critters — anything with fur and four paws. She made sure any neighborhood cats who were homeless, or pretended to be homeless, were well-fed and cared for.

LuRuth was predeceased by her husband of 56 years, James Edward Arena, her parents, Paul and Lois Sutton, her sister, Patricia Kallmeyer, a nephew and a niece. Survivors include two sons, Jim II and Paul, and two grandchildren, Jillian and Charlie. She also is survived by her sister’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 1:00 pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3639 Old Chapel Hill Road; Durham, NC 27707.

Donations in LuRuth’s memory may be sent to The Lupus Foundation of America, Westminster Presbyterian Church, SAFE Haven for Cats in Raleigh, the Animal Protection Society of Durham, or to any other charity that cares for and saves