A 94-year old man will get his wish of being buried in a Juicy Fruit-themed casket thanks to a thoughtful member of a local funeral service company. Suttie Economy, a World War II veteran with a love of the classic yellow chewing gum, finally got permission from the Mars Wrigley Company to use the logo after an appeal from his friend Sammy Oakey, who runs Oakey’s Funeral Service.
- Don’t worry, Suttie is still alive. As CNN reports, the elderly vet hasn’t actually passed away yet but is currently receiving treatment and staying at a Virginia Veterans Care Clinic due to an ongoing heart condition. However, he’s still very much alive and kicking and will be pleased to know that his wish for a Juicy Fruit casket when he does eventually pass on will be granted.
- Suttie has loved Juicy Fruit for many years. His love of the gum first started when he was serving in World War II, when the armed forces received the company’s entire supply rather than it being sold on store shelves. He has chewed it ever since and was always known to have a pack on him wherever he went.
- You could never find Suttie without his beloved Juicy Fruit. “Suttie would come in here for visitation or just come in to visit and he would always bring a bunch of packs of Juicy Fruit chewing gum and put it out for the employees to enjoy,” Oakey told CNN. He didn’t just do that here. He did it at restaurants and doctor’s offices wherever he went.”
- It’s about more than just gum for Suttie. According to his brother John, his love of Juicy Fruit has become more symbolic, hence his desire to have the product image on his casket one day. “It served as a symbol for his mission to talk to people about the World War II memorial and to honor the deceased veterans that died for our freedom,” John explained.
- Mars Wrigley initially declined the request. The company initially said no to the request to use the Juicy Fruit image on Suttie’s casket, but after the campaign picked up steam online, the VP personally called to give his blessing. In addition, they sent 250 packs of Juicy Fruit to Suttie, which is pretty amazing.
