John Stuit

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of John “Bud” Stuit of 451 Gurley Road, Granger, WA. His family lived in Bismarck, N.D., when he was born in August of 1935 but he was born in Hettinger because that is where the midwife lived. He weighed 3-1/2 lbs at birth and his mother gave him whiskey in an eyedropper to warm him and open his airways. So, he started his life on the fight and just kept it up all 81 years!! He was baptized at Holland Christian Reformed Church in Lodgepole, South Dakota. He attended a one room school with his siblings and they rode horse to school every day unless the weather was bad enough to hitch up the wagon. He told us, “One day dad came to pick us up at school with the team and wagon because the snow was bad and we couldn’t get to school again for 3 weeks.” His family left South Dakota for Lynden, WA in 1950. He lived there until the 80’s and has many friends and family living there. He was one of six children and they all learned to help with the farm work, from an early age and he remained a hard worker all his life. He received a jacket, hat, watch and a 50-year pin from I.U.O.E #302 in Bothell, WA, and he was very proud of that. He worked all over the United States and Alaska as a heavy equipment operator. He was a Marine, a rodeo cowboy, heavy equipment operator, cattle buyer, horse trader and all around good hand. He attended cattle auctions and horse sales all over the Northwest, and successfully graduated auctioneer school in his 50’s. When he was a young man, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, trail riding, music and dancing and rodeo He was married to Joyce VanderPol from Lynden, WA for 40-years and they had one child, Donita Jordan. He was preceded in death by his parents, Peter Stuit and Frances LeFebre Stuit, brothers, Kenny Stuit, Wilbur Stuit and sister, Margaret Stuit, two nephews, a niece, and many other relatives and friends. Survivors include Ray Stuit, Alvinia Flikkema, Gert Stuit, Suzy Stuit, daughter, Donita Jordan, grandchildren, Zach (wife Sumer), and their children, Kourtney, Apol and Max and granddaughter Sarah (Yakima), and great grandchildren Natalie, Sadie, Maddie and Frannie of the family home in Granger. Thank you to all who helped my father in his last few months, the crew at SVID (Granger Shop), Gary at the Spur, Jack and Patty Maddox, Randy and Marky Stuit, McLeavey’s Barber Shop, Gail Stanton, and Zach and Sumer Jordan, nephew Monte Geerdes, and Beth Jollie (Hospice Nurse). Hats off to you dad, you cowboyed up to the very end. We are all so proud of you and we will miss you always. No Service planned at this time. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Stuit, please visit our flower store.