Stanley C. Sutherland, Jr.

It is often with the perspective of time that we get the true measure of a man. Stanley C. Sutherland, Jr. lived every day he was given to its very fullest and gave all that he had to living it with integrity. Stan had a great sense of humor, coupled with an endearing personality and a strong moral character. Yet, he never once thought of himself as better than anyone else, rather he was gracious and humble for all that he had been blessed with. His generous spirit, his love and devotion to family, and his ability to make every one of life's moments better with a quick joke and a smile, are what is sure to be in the hearts and minds of his family and friends as they reflect on Stan's life. The roaring twenties were a time when Americans were more prosperous than ever thought possible. The country was put to work building homes and highways with the automobile industry driving the decade forward at an unprecedented speed. It was a decade of innovation for the industrialized nation, cars were hitting the roadways, commercial airliners were hitting the air, and steel was shaping the urban skyline one skyscraper at a time. For Stanley and Mabel (Robinson) Sutherland of Grand Haven, Michigan, the decade took off on a high note, beginning with the birth of their child on February 22, 1920, a son to whom they gave his father's name, Stanley. Young Stan, who would later earn the nickname Suds, may have been his parent's lone child, but that didn't mean he was alone. Stan had a cousin named Chuck who was close to him in age, and he and Chuck were nearly inseparable growing up. Every summer the two boys would take a trip out to the country to visit their grandmother and while there, they spent much of their time making mischief. For starters, they would leave little wads of paper all over the house for Grandma to come along and clean up. Stan loved to playfully tease his Grandma, and Grandma loved having him there to tease her. Stan and Chuck also liked to ride their bikes around town, and with two active boys on the loose, broken bones were inevitable. One time in particular, Stan was peddling his bike while Chuck rode on the handlebars when suddenly, to no ones' surprise, it ended with a crash followed by a visit to the emergency room. When the boys weren't spending the summer at Grandma's, YMCA camp was their favorite place to be. They enjoyed just about everything the camp had to offer even camping in the old, rustic tents. Life at home in Grand Haven wasn't so bad either. Stan's backyard was great for playing in, as it was full of beautiful apple and cherry trees. He also liked playing around with the kids in his neighborhood, particularly the DeWitt family from down the street. One of Stan's best friends, however, was his dad, whom he liked to accompany to his job at the tannery from time to time. The drive to Whitehall was about a half an hour and it was one of his favorite parts about going to work with his dad because the two of them could spend time talking and sharing with one another. At home, it was his mother that he relied on and confided in, and he became her dutiful son, looking after her and caring for her throughout her entire life. During most of his youth and adolescence he was an ideal son, and most could have been replaced by all, had their not been an incident one Halloween that involved flying tomatoes and a high speed car chase, that darn near killed the family's Model T Ford! In high school he was active on both the golf and rifle teams, and was known as a great photographer. With his outgoing personality and boyish charm, he was quite popular at Grand Haven High School, where he graduated from in 1939. Following graduation, Stan wasn't ready to stray too far from home just yet, so he enrolled in Muskegon Junior College, better known today as Muskegon Community College. In that time, America became embroiled in WWII and Stan dreamed of serving his country overseas, but his asthma kept him from enlisting. Instead he went on to become a Spartan at Michigan State College, which is known today as Michigan State University. Shortly thereafter he met his future wife, Maxine Griffith who was a registered nurse. Stan and Maxine decided to make it official and were married in 1946. Even though Stan wasn't able to fulfill his dream and serve overseas, he was able to contribute his services to the war. His first job out of college was as a quality control specialist in the Aircraft division at Continental Motors. There he worked on Merlin Engines, which were essential to the war effort. Stan's next job was at Norge for a few years until 1955 when he settled into a career at Keene-Kaydon in Muskegon. He worked in management as a sales specialist, focusing primarily on developing relationships with the company's global partners. Things were going well at home also. Stan and Maxine were happier than they ever could have imagined raising their two children, Daniel and Judy. The couple was also enjoying each others' company, socializing with friends, playing cards, and just simply having fun together. Some of their best times were spent laughing and joking with one another, which also proved to be the best medicine when it came to dealing with pressures from the outside world. Following Stan's retirement from Keene-Kaydon in 1985, the two of them continued their pursuit of enjoying life by traveling with friends and visiting other states as well as other countries. Stan also took pleasure in spending some of his retirement on the greens for a round a golf, a pastime he had enjoyed since his days on the high school golf team. In 1994, Stanley's wife Maxine passed away after sharing a very blessed 47 years of marriage together. Although Stanley felt like a part of his heart was missing, he carried on as Maxine would have wanted him to, being his usual jovial self and delighting in the time he still had with their family, which now included two grandchildren, Jamie and Joshua. He also continued to improve the lives of others with his philanthropic spirit, making many contributions to the Muskegon Community Foundation, Visiting Nurse Services, the Mayo Clinic, and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. He contributed not only with money, but also with time to the Mike Irish Golf Classic and as a volunteer at Hackley Hospital. He provided the funds to create "Sutherland House" on the Rehabilitation Unit of Hackley Hospital. On a beautiful spring day this year, Stan went to dinner with his son Dan, and one of his three trusted care providers, to celebrate Dan's 49th birthday. After dinner, the three of them went for a ride, driving past the home where Dan & Judy grew up, and the place where Stan spent many years working. Before they returned home, they sat looking out over Lake Michigan as the sun was setting, Stan surely remembering some of the happiest moments he spent there and how much at one time he loved to go fishing on the lake. After a full day and one of his best weeks in many months, Stan turned in early for the evening, and drifted off to sleep. Earlier this year Stan mourned the loss of his daughter Judy and soon he too would make the same transition. Surviving family includes one son, Daniel Sutherland (Mary Buczek) of Chicago, IL; son-in-law, Phillip Koser of Morton Grove, IL; 2 grandchildren, Ms. Jamie Koser and Joshua Sutherland. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Maxine in 1994 and by a daughter, Judy Koser in 2006. Visitations will be held on Friday Apr 7th, 2006 from 2pm-4pm at Clock Life Story Funeral Homes - Muskegon and Friday Apr 7th, 2006 from 6pm-8pm also at Clock Life Story Funeral Homes - Muskegon. Services will be held on Saturday Apr 8th, 2006 3pm at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, 1200 Seminole Rd., in Norton Shores, MI. Please visit Stan's personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can share a memory, order flowers, or make a memorial contribution.