Donald Earle "Don" Stucker
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5A Obituary - July 29, 2020
Donald Stucker
November 30, 1928 - July 18, 2020
Donald Earle Stucker, 91,
passed away in Cedar City,
Utah, on July 18, 2020. Don,
son of Earle and Lydia Stucker,
was born November 30, 1928, in
the small Colorado mining town
of Somerset where he spent his
early days.
The family moved to Gallup,
New Mexico around the time
Don entered high school. There
he won a state Golden Glove Boxing championship. The family
moved back to Colorado for his senior year, and he graduated
from Delta High School. He and his brother, Lyle, who was a
year younger, were close companions and both played on winning
football teams in Gallop and Delta. In Gallup, he was on the state
championship team and in Delta, they shared the Western Slope
championship.
Don started his college career at Mesa Junior College (now
CMU) where he met his future wife, Dorothea (Knudsen) Stucker
or Dottie. He transferred to Colorado A&M (now CSU) to be near
his brother and there he received a BS in 1955. He and Dottie were
married before he graduated in 1954. He later returned to college
and received a second degree in Engineering from University of
Utah in 1959. His mother joked that he was nearly a professional
student.
Don had a long, distinguished career with the BLM starting in
1959 as a surveyor in Colorado and working his way up to become
the District Engineer, first in Kanab and finally in Cedar City where
he retired in 1990. One of his favorite tales was being swept away
by a flash flood while surveying on the Navajo Reservation and
losing the BLM equipment.
Always civic minded and active in organizations, Don was
a member of Elks, Utah Pioneers, Sigma Nu Fraternity, Theta
Tau, Valley Hospital Board, Retired Government Employees
Association, and most notably, Lions. He particularly valued his
association with the Cedar City Lions Club and served as Utah
District Governor 1993-1994.
He was a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of
the Latter-Day Saints in which he served in many positions. He
was particularly proud of his work with the Scouts. He and Dottie
served in the Minnesota Minneapolis mission in 1990.
Donald is survived by wife Dorothea; son, Lyle and his wife,
Becky (Bettridge) Stucker; son, Chris and his wife, Heidi (Puffer)
Stucker; sister, Sondra (Stucker) Porter; grandchildren, Brennan
Stucker, Zachary Stucker, Jacey Carpenter, Alexis Cutler, Stephan
Stucker, and Dylan Stucker; 11 great-grandchildren, and many
nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, and
brother, Lyle who was killed in the Korean War.
A viewing will be held July 31 from 10 - 11:00 a.m. at Southern
Utah Mortuary, 190 N 300 W, Cedar City. Don will be buried in
Crawford, Colorado, alongside many others of the Stucker family
and a graveside service will be held there on August 1 at 10:00 a.m.
at Garden Memories Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Lyle Stucker
Memorial Scholarship fund at Colorado State University http://
giving.colostate.edu or to the charity of your choice. Online
condolences can be sent at www.sumortuary.com.
