Obituary of Edward Alfred Charles Stuttig

Edward Alfred Charles Stuttig was born on 15 September 1918 to Edward & Nellie (Lee) Stuttig.  Edward & Nellie owned & operated the family bakery in The Bronx, New York.  One of three children in a modest home, Ed was rarely a difficult child, but was ever inquisitive. He once jettisoned his sailor hat out of the train window just to see how far it would go. He learned early to calculate the cost of experimentation such that the payoff clearly outweighed the risk.  Not surprisingly, he had no interest in the baking & confectionery life as the labor intensive work had a comparably meager return. He was required, however, to inject the jelly in the jelly doughnuts.

In 1941 Ed met & married the first love of his life, Dorothy Constance Gerahty.  He won her over by sending his brother Bill to her house with a letter of recommendation from their parish priest.

Responding to the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) Ed got in line at the New York City Armory to enlist. He was commandeered as a typist to alleviate the long line of enlistees. He worked several weeks before his superiors realized he was not yet enlisted himself. Ed was stationed along the East coast serving in a communications capacity.

Before WWII, Ed worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. In 1945 Ed began working for the MW Kellogg Company in their engineering department.

Ed and Dorothy moved to Mineola, NY in 1953 and raised their two daughters there. Ed commuted to work on the LIRR – a Dashing Dan with a brief case and the WSJ. In September 1970, the Kellogg Company moved their engineering office to Houston, TX. Dot and Ed bought a beautiful home in Spring/Tomball TX. Dorothy died unexpectedly in December 1970.

Ed met and married his darling Foye Burklin in 1974. This was fitting because he was Handsome & she was Gorgeous. Ed retired from MW Kellogg in 1978.

Even in retirement, Ed was at work.  He & Foye had an 80 acre “Franch” yielding several generations of cattle & a garden that would make Martha Stewart swoon.  He endeavored to be in good health for as long as possible. He swam, walked & golfed regularly – still playing several rounds a week into his 90s. Ed & Foye were both active in community theater both on & off the stage.  Ed appeared in several supporting roles in the Tyler & Rusk theaters.  Backstage he applied his genius in crafting props & scenery – many from Styrofoam & Duct tape.  

Ever conscious of his returns, he devoured the Wall Street Journal and made sound investments.  He knew many ways to turn a penny into a pound and was always eager to share his knowledge of oil refining, smelting, methane, fertilizer and later cystic fibrosis drugs.  He rarely invested in a business he did not endeavor to fully understand.

A stalwart Christian, Ed has grown in and blessed many church families through his lifetime. He served on several vestries and Bishop’s committees, raised his voice in song and was glad to be a willing instrument however God could use him. 

Ed was kind hearted, but firm.  He would gladly provide support to those who were willing to help themselves.  He was eager to reward right efforts and to encourage the same in others.  He will be remember as a gregarious performer, an eternal student, a mentor and generous friend.

After Foye’s death in 2014, Ed moved to Bethesda Gardens Assisted Living, Fort Worth. He came to really know it as his home and enjoyed more than four years there.

Ed is preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy; second wife, Foye; daughter, Aurday A. Landrum; sister, Gwendoline Custance; brother, Bill Stuttig; and nephew, Tommy Custance. Waiting at the Rainbow Bridge will be a gaggle of cats & dogs he shared his life’s journey with.  

Many will miss his smile & fabulous eyebrows including his daughters, Trish Cloutier & Randy Schell & her husband Mike; grandsons, John McBride & Jeff Landrum; granddaughters, Kate Landrum, Jennifer Lindauer & her partner Shaanon, & Colleen Metz & her husband Andy; Ed's great grandchildren who have been blessed & awed to know & love him, Isabelle Metz, Addison Metz, Kaylee McBride, & Ayden Boyett; and extended family includes numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, their children and grandchildren.