When Dirk Suter graduated from Montpelier High School in 1978 he thought he had his life pretty well planned out … go to college, become a mortician, and move back home to Montpelier to work in the funeral home business with the Thompson family. A plan that would not take him far from home.
And it almost went according to plan.
“One summer I needed a summer job, and through my buddy Mike Hebblethwaite I heard Thompson’s Funeral Home was looking for help. The Thompsons are such good people; Jim and Gene are great role models. They had a good life, good business, well thought of by the community, so I found the “what” I was going to do.” explained Dirk.
“After college and mortuary school I went back home and got settled in working for Jim. But I began to feel like a fifth wheel, just didn’t seem to fit in Montpelier anymore. After my Dad died, my Mom moved to Houston and married my step Dad (Dick Cheadle). Houston is home to one of the largest funeral companies in the world so I thought I’d try the big city.”
“The funeral business in Houston was a big change. The locations that I worked at each handled more funerals in a month than Thompsons handle in a year. After two years in Houston I realized that the funeral business just wasn’t for me. I had always been interested in law enforcement, but my Mom didn’t want anything to do with that. She worried enough about her brother working for a police department outside Detroit. I kind of slipped it past her, didn’t go over well with her or my new wife, but it was a good fit for me.”
Maybe the women in Dirk’s life were onto something.
“I worked as a patrolman in a rough area on the northwest side of the city. I was involved in a shooting in the early 90’s. After everything calmed down, while I was waiting for everyone to show up (the investigators, IAD, the DA’s office, the firearms examiner, my lieutenant, my lawyer) I remember thinking “how did a guy from Montpelier end up here?”
A few years later another incident brought about another change.
“While I was still in patrol, we arrested a murder suspect and I later testified about my part in the case. I met with the assistant district attorney, Kelly Siegler, prior to trial. She encouraged me to consider working in the homicide division. She said that in her opinion the Houston homicide division was one of the best investigative divisions in the country. She went on to make quite a name for herself as one of the best prosecutors in the country. Most detectives I knew agreed that if you did it, you didn’t want her on your case. She probably put more murderers in prison than anyone else while she was with the DA’s office. When I got my transfer to homicide I spent a year as a desk officer then went to the domestic violence unit as an investigator. That was interesting but very frustrating. “
Again, the women in his life promoted another change.
“In the beginning I planned to put in my 20 years or so and retire from the department and then maybe move to corporate security. I got my MBA in management from the University of St. Thomas while I worked the nightshift in patrol and homicide. My wife was never a big fan of me being a cop. She kept quiet for about 6 months after I got my degree. Finally she asked if I was even going to look for another job. She pointed out that if I didn’t at least look, I’d never know if there was a job that I would enjoy as much or more, making more money. I found a job as a bank fraud investigator with Wells Fargo Banks. It was everything I loved about being a police investigator and she didn’t worry about anyone fighting with or shooting at me. It was a nice raise too. While I was there I was approached by a friend with Reliant Energy about an investigator position with them. I really liked Wells Fargo, but it was too big of a raise to turn down.”
“Over the last few years the company sold the Reliant name and the Texas retail electricity business and we’ve merged with another similar company to become GenOn Energy. GenOn has 40 power plants across the country, most of them are in the Pennsylvania area, and two are in Ohio. I am a manager in corporate security. On those days when I miss being a cop, my wife reminds me that I haven’t been shot at since I was a patrolman and I haven’t been in a fight since I left the department.”
Dirk is also a devoted family man. “My wife and I have two boys, our oldest is a junior in high school, hoping to go to the Naval Academy and make a career of the Navy, our youngest is a 7th grader, thinking he’d like to go to Stanford to be an engineer.”
“I don’t get back to Montpelier too often; however, I was recently honored with my photo placed on the ‘wall of fame’ at the high school for my trip to the state track meet back in 1977.”
But Montpelier does hold some good memories.
“ I remember summer nights lying in bed, the windows open, in the background hearing the sounds of the locomotives moving through the rail yard, and my Dad listening to Ernie Harwell call Detroit Tigers games. I remember the smell of the maple leaves burning, back when we all raked them into big piles and burned them along the curb of the street. I remember Wasi’s voice on the P.A. at the football games and all the fun we had doing the plays and musicals with him.”
Far from home, but home is never far away.
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