June 8, 1954 – July 10, 2021
John Stoppels
John Webb Stoppels was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 8th, 1954, and died in Seattle, Washington, on July 10th, 2021, after a brief struggle with pancreatic cancer.
John attended Hope College and graduated with a B.A. degree in philosophy from Northeastern University. He then went on to study theology at Garrett Theological Seminary, receiving a Masters in Divinity degree.
John’s life was richly varied. He served in pastoral positions at Victory Memorial Hospital in Waukegan, Illinois, as well as at a small church in Monroe, Washington. John deeply enjoyed discussing philosophy and spiritual matters with his large group of friends, always seeking to understand people and explore their beliefs. He was also a gifted artist, designing everything from ships to cartoons, and creating a large collection of superb photographs from locations close to home as well as from his travels around the world (his trips included the Dominican Republic, China, Korea, Europe and Great Britain). In recent years, John focused on writing, and his collection of fiction, biography, non-fiction, screenplays and other works is extensive and brilliantly written. Above all, John was a lover of the natural world. He was an avid hiker and backpacker, often fearlessly heading off on solo backpacking trips to remote regions throughout the U.S. He loved sharing his knowledge of the wilderness with others. Nature was where he felt most at home and knew supreme joy.
John was preceded in death by his father, Allen Dale Stoppels. He is survived by his mother, Sara Webb Stoppels, of Poulsbo, WA; his sisters Jillon Dupree (Andy), of Bainbridge Island, WA, and Beth Girko (Steve) of San Antonio, TX; nephew Nicholas Dupree of Providence, RI; niece Sarah Dupree of Berkeley, CA; as well as a large extended family.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 29th, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. (PST) at University Congregational Church, Seattle, WA, either in-person (seating limited, masks required) or via livestream at . . . . Remembrance donations can be made to the church, with a notation for either the Seabeck Scholarship Program or the Parish Aid Fund: University Congregational Church, 4515 16th Avenue, NE, Seattle, WA 98105.
The post John Webb Stoppels first appeared on Barton Family Funeral Service.