Lucas E Stutzman

Lucas “Luke” Ewing Stutzman died on September 6, 2026, after spending 55 years doing life largely on his own terms—which, if you knew Luke, was really the only way he was ever going to do it. Visitation will be held at McLaren's Resthaven Chapel, 801 -19th Street, West Des Moines, Iowa 50265, on September 10, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. A funeral will be held at Lutheran Church of Hope, 925 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines, Iowa, on September 11, 2026, at 11:00 am. Memorials may be made to the family to honor Luke’s memory.

Luke was the beloved son of John (Sandy) Stutzman and Claudia Stutzman born June 23, 1971, in Fremont, Nebraska. Luke was a man of remarkable strength, quiet grace, fierce independence, and very few unnecessary words. He didn’t need to be the loudest person in the room to have a presence in it. He was steady, stubborn, immensely capable, and deeply loved.

Luke graduated from Fontanelle "Flickerville" High School in 1989. He went on to study art at Southwestern Community College (SWCC) in Creston, Iowa, and later Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Missouri. He possessed the kind of creativity that couldn’t be confined to a canvas. He was an artist, a musician, a craftsman, and an athlete—he was good at everything he attempted. You’d be hard-pressed to find Luke without a guitar, golf club, or axe close at hand, wherever he went. And that includes on his motorcycle.

Professionally, Luke spent nearly 30 years building a successful career in finance with Wells Fargo. He also proudly served his country in the 1168th Trans Company in the Iowa National Guard, MOS 88 Mike.

Luke wasn’t a man who wasted words. If something could be communicated with a look, a nod, or a perfectly timed one-liner, that was usually more his speed. But the people closest to him knew what lived beneath that stoicism: an enormous capacity for love, loyalty, tenderness, and devotion.

In 2001, Luke married Julie, with whom he shared a loving life until her death in 2009. They were blessed with a son Trey. Being a father was his greatest joy. Life eventually gave him the unexpected gift of love again when he met Beth in 2018. They became engaged in December 2019 and built a home and a life together—one filled with family, laughter, projects, music, ordinary days that became extraordinary in hindsight, and a love strong enough to carry them through the unimaginable.

When Luke was diagnosed with a rare cancer, he met it exactly as those who knew him would expect: head-on. He never complained. He fought relentlessly, until fighting was no longer what he needed to do.

And then, after a life defined by strength, Luke was finally allowed to rest.

His hands built things that will remain. His music will still be heard. His trails will still be traveled. His stories will continue to be told. And his love will live on in Beth, Trey, Oliver, his family, his friends, and every person fortunate enough to have known the complicated, stubborn, talented, funny, quiet, deeply loving man that was Luke.

Fortunately, his life said plenty.

There are people who fill a room with words, and there are people whose absence changes the room entirely.

Luke was the latter.

He was preceded in death by his cherished wife, Julie Stutzman; his paternal grandparents, Glen and Kay Stutzman; his maternal grandparents, Glenn and Lorraine Homan; and several beloved aunts and uncles.

He leaves behind his devoted spouse, Beth Riha; his son, Trey Stutzman; his stepson, Oliver Gramenz; his parents John (Sandy) Stutzman, and Claudia Stutzman, his siblings, Chad (Jennifer) Stutzman, Shawn (Heather) Stutzman, and Chance Stutzman, step siblings Sonya Clayton and Michael Johns, nieces Allyson Stutzman, Taneal Stutzman, Chasity Meggison, and Mason Hague, nephews Sam Stutzman and Seth Stutzman, along with the most unwavering and long-standing group of friends that will carry his memory on into perpetuity.

His family is profoundly grateful to the physicians, nurses, hospice professionals, friends, and loved ones who cared for Luke and stood beside them throughout his illness. The compassion shown to him, particularly in his final days, will never be forgotten.