Stuart Lloyd Vollmer Sr.

1932 - 2022

Stuart Lloyd Vollmer Sr. of Spring Lake, Michigan, passed away peacefully on Oct. 1, 2022, at the age of 90.

He was born on June 4, 1932, in Grand Haven, Michigan, the fourth of eight children born to Ruth D. (Johnson) and Ludwig Walter Vollmer. He was raised on the family farm, the property which today is Stearns Creek Park of Ottawa County. Stuart's mother, Ruth, passed away in 1941 when he was only 9 years old. Hard work and family responsibilities were a part of Stuart and his siblings' lives from a young age.

Stuart graduated from Holland High School in 1950 and attended the Naval Station Great Lakes training academy. Shortly after enrollment at Great Lakes, he was discharged due to a heart murmur. He married Helen Mary Koscinski of Muskegon, Michigan, and they began raising a family, moving between Spring Lake and Grand Haven before settling permanently in Spring Lake. Stuart ran a successful construction company, building hundreds of houses, many in the Norton Shores community during the 1950s through the 1970s.

He had many interests outside of work. Stuart was a private pilot and owned a Piper Cherokee airplane he housed at Grand Haven Memorial Airpark. He enjoyed flying to dawn patrols and the annual Oshkosh Air Show. He also enjoyed fishing, both from local piers as well as trolling on the Big Lake. For many years, he raised an impressive garden and taught his children much about growing all types of vegetables. In his later years, Stuart taught himself how to play the guitar and dobro, and enjoyed playing country music. He also enjoyed bowling and playing cards, whether in a local game with friends or in his later years at the local casinos.

Stuart is survived by his five children: Stuart (Lynnell) Vollmer II of Spring Lake, Mich., Jon (Sheila Keady) Vollmer of Naples, Fla., Ross (Dawn) Vollmer of Bradenton, Fla., Luanna Vollmer of Litchfield, N.H. and Ronald (Marie) Vollmer of Chelsea, Mich. He has 17 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by two of his sisters and brothers-in-law, Ruth (Paul) Smeenge and Elizabeth (Jim) Walwood, and two sisters-in-law, Dina Vollmer and Nancy Vollmer, all of Grand Haven, Mich. Stuart was preceded in death by his parents and his former wife of 31 years, Helen Vollmer. He was also preceded in death by his three brothers and one sister-in-law: Ludwig (Lenore) Vollmer, George Vollmer and Raymond Vollmer; and two sisters and three brothers-in-law: IdaBelle (Don) Currie, Irene (Anthony) Maas and Robert Walwood.

The family is grateful to our brother Stuart and his wife Lynnell for the care and patience they provided to our father at the end of his life. Our father, grandfather and great-grandfather will be forever remembered for his free-spirited ways and his slightly off-tune singing voice. A private family remembrance will be held at a yet-to-be-determined date.