John B. (Bud) Stuit, age 81, of Granger, Washington, passed away on Wednesday Nov. 16, 2016 at his home in Granger, surrounded by his family.
He was born on Aug. 3, 1935 in Hettinger, North Dakota. He was baptized at the Holland Center 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 three weeks.” His family left South Dakota for Lynden in 1950. He lived in Lynden until 1981 and has many friends and family living there.
John was one of six children who 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. (International Union of Operating Engineers) #302 in Bothell, Washington, 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 veteran, 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 from auctioneer school in his 50s. When he was a young man, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, trail riding, music and dancing, and rodeo.
He was married to Joyce Vander Pol from Lynden for 40 years and they had one child, Donita Jordan.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Frances Stuit; brothers Ken Stuit and Wilbur Stuit; sister Margaret Cole; brother-in-law John Flikkema; two nephews, a niece and many other relatives and friends.
Survivors include: sister Alvina Flikkema of Portland, Oregon; brother Ray (Nelda) Stuit of Lynden; sisters-in-law Gertrude Stuit of Lynden and Suzanne Reynolds of Ferndale; daughter Donita Jordan of Granger; grandson Zach (Sumer) and their children Kourtney, Apol and Max of Granger; granddaughter Sarah of 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 Hospice nurse Beth Jollie.
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.
A memorial service is planned for a later day.
