A man who recently drowned off Montaña de Oro State Park has been identified as a retired, Cuesta College language professor.
According to Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Cipolla, the man whose kayak was upended by waves on May 2 was identified as Ralph Sutter, 78 of Arroyo Grande.
According to Los Osos resident, Petra Clayton, “Ralph Sutter was a colleague of mine from Cuesta College. He started teaching Spanish the same year (1987) that I started teaching German there. He retired in 2011.”
She added that Sutter was an avid kayaker. “Among other places,” she said, “he had kayaked on the Colorado River.”
Sutter’s final paddle started out at Spooner’s Cove, according to Cipolla. But the accident happened away from the state park’s most popular beach spot.
The 9-1-1 call came in about 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, May 2. The initial report said there was a kayaker in distress, who had been knocked off his boat by wave action. “As a result,” Cipolla said, “it appears the life vest he was wearing somehow slipped off his body. Sutter was located and CPR was performed but he was pronounced dead at the scene.”
According to a Fullbean.com profile, Sutter was married to Connie Sutter, an aspiring watercolorist and retired elementary school teacher in Santa Maria. They have two daughters, Wendy and Erin.
Mr. Sutter was Webmaster for SLO Bytes, an online club for PC computer enthusiasts. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish from U.C. Riverside and a Master’s in Spanish from UCLA. He is quoted as saying, “I spent my junior year studying in Madrid, Spain.”
He served in the U.S. Army as a Personnel Specialist from 1971-72 stationed in Atlanta, Ga., and at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
He was a master carpenter and self-employed, cabinetmaker, joking, “This was a part-time venture which justified purchasing numerous useful power tools.”
Of note, he built all the cabinets in the family’s home, according to the post, set all the ceramic tile, laid the hardwood floors himself, and convinced his daughters “that it’s fun to shingle a garage roof.” He clearly had a sense of humor too.
Clayton said of her former colleague, “He was a man of many interests and talents.”
Cipolla, speaking for the Sheriff’s Department said, “Our thoughts are with Mr. Sutter’s Family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
