Lester Ray Stutzman

Lester “Les” passed away on July 6, 2023 in Wenatchee, WA. He was born in Wenatchee, to Earl and Opal Stutzman, who lived on an orchard in nearby Monitor, WA. Lester was the youngest and last surviving of four brothers (Maynard, Harold, and Ordo). He grew up working with his brothers performing the usual jobs associated with farming, but had a strong draw to motorcycles and racing. After High School, Les traveled east to Middlebury, IN, where he visited with relatives. He stayed longer than he had planned and met a young lady that he became enchanted with, Mary Von Blon. They were married on August 22, 1948, and moved back to the Stutzman ranch, where he built a home for them to live. During this time, he was busy with his new job at Valley Tractor, where he became a valuable employee and was beloved by his customers. The house that he had built was getting too small for his growing family, so he and Mary moved to Cashmere, WA. He worked long, hard hours in those days, but found time to go hunting and fishing with his family and friends. He also continued with his passion for racing, which he and his friends did at the track in East Wenatchee, WA. While living at Cashmere, WA, Les and Mary added again to their family, which once more spurred Les to think about moving. His sales area had expanded, and he longed to spend more time with his family and less on the road. In June of 1959, the family moved to Manson, WA, to a home on Lake Chelan. There, the family would live until his passing. Life at the lake was filled with numerous camping trips and boating excursions up lake with his family but his passion for motorcycles and cars continued. There was always a motorcycle in the garage with weekend trips into the mountains with his buddies. Even this was not enough as he also worked with his friends to restore numerous cars and boats. When he finally retired from Valley Tractor, he purchased a 10-acre orchard and worked on it with Mary, until he was in his 90’s, when he figured it was time to take a break. He continued to help his son farm a 5-acre orchard just to keep busy. Later, Lester found enjoyment in the occasional fishing and hunting trips with family and friends but truly enjoyed sitting on the deck of his home with his wife Mary, reliving the life they had lived and friendships they had made. Lester and Mary were married a remarkable 75 years. Lester is survived by his wife, Mary; three children: Sandra, Lonnie and Celeste; three grandchildren: Kevin, Trisha, and Ryan; and three great-grandchildren: Lana, Jemma and Wyatt.

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Lester Ray Stutzman

September 7, 1926 - July 6, 2023