Leon Henry Stutzman

Pacific Grove ~ The Monterey Peninsula says goodbye to a long time friend and outstanding citizen. Leon Stutzman passed away of natural causes on August 17, 2011. He was 87 years old. Leon was born in 1924 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the oldest of five children born to Orlo and Bertha Stutzman. He and his four sisters grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in a family that loved music. His sisters played the piano and he played the violin by the age of 7. All the kids sang. In high school, Leon played the tuba in the school marching band, but his true instrument turned out to be his unusually deep bass voice, which made him a natural for choirs and choruses for the rest of his life.

Leon served as a navigator of a B-24 in the Air Force during World War II, flying missions over Northern Italy. After the war, he attended the University of Wisconsin, majoring in Physical Therapy. Leon married Mary Louise Chase in 1946 and, after graduating from college, they moved to Portland, Oregon, where he spent three years at the first free-standing physical therapy unit in the U.S. They moved to California in 1952 and he obtained his master’s degree from Stanford before settling the following year in Monterey.

Leon was Monterey’s first physical therapist. He opened his office on Cass Street and, in 1953, became the first physical therapist ever hired by the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, working there part-time while maintaining his private practice.

Over the years, Leon actively served his community in Monterey. As a member of the Jaycees, he helped to build Dennis the Menace Park. He served on the Monterey County Planning Commission for 10 years and contributed significantly to building the Unitarian Church of the Monterey Peninsula. He also served on the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation. In addition, during the 60’s, Leon spent six months on an assignment in India working as a physical therapist.

As a member of the well-known Plus Four barbershop quartet, Leon performed in national competitions and various venues around the Western U.S. from 1951 to 1957. The quartet wrote many of the songs they performed and included comedy in their routines. Later, Leon sang in the local barbershop chorus and also enjoyed singing in his church choir for many years.

Leon and his wife, Mary Lou, loved to travel. Over the years they traveled throughout Europe, as well as India, Indonesia, and China. He also had a green thumb and enjoyed gardening throughout his life, tending carefully to his many fruit trees and cymbidium orchards.

He is survived by his children, Randi Carney of Menlo Park, Tom Stutzman of San Jose, Gail Strandberg of Marina, and N. Kelly Connell of San Diego. He is also survived by four grandchildren and his sisters, Verla Riggle and Caroll Borgen of Wisconsin.

A Celebration of Life is planned for September 4 at 2:00 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula, 490 Aguajito Road, Carmel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation, 980 Fremont St., Monterey, 93940.