Herbert W Stutz

August 28, 1929 - March 23, 2020

Herb Stutz passed away March 23 at his home in Prescott, Ariz., at the age of 90. He was born to Gustave and Rose Stutz, in Newark, N.J., in 1929, just a few weeks before the start of the Great Crash on Wall Street. He was a child of the Depression as he grew up in northern New Jersey. He graduated from Irvington High School in June of 1947, but the course of his life began to take shape when he began attending Evangel Baptist Church in Newark, where he met his future wife, Esther Gayk. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 and served as a corporal at Fort Dix in New Jersey. He married Esther on June 28, 1952, and he was honorably discharged from the Army in May of 1953. He entered the full-time workforce about a month later when he was hired by the Newark News. That was the start of a newspaper career than spanned over 41 years. Herb and Esther’s first child, Jean, was born in April of 1953, and two years later, he became Scholastic Sports Editor at the Newark News. A son, Kenneth, was born in April of 1957, and the family settled into their home in Union, N.J. In 1959, he was elected president of the New Jersey Sports Writers Association. He and Esther moved their family to Cherry Hill, N.J., after was he hired as Scholastic Sports Editor at the Philadelphia Bulletin in June of 1964. In the summer of 1968, the Bulletin assigned him to cover the race riots on his former home turf: Newark, N.J. He briefly covered golf for the Bulletin, including Raymond Floyd’s one-stroke victory over Gary Player at the 1969 PGA Championship near Dayton, Ohio. Shortly thereafter, he was named the Bulletin’s Assistant Sports Editor. In January of 1972, Herb was elected President of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association for a one-year term, and in August of that year, he was promoted to Sports Editor of the Bulletin. He served in that capacity for eight years. During his tenure, he directed the Bulletin’s coverage of the Flyers winning two Stanley Cups, the Phillies capturing their first ever World Series title, the Eagles' transformation under Dick Vermeil (who coached the team to its first Super Bowl appearance in 1981) and the resurgence of the 76ers, who advanced to the NBA finals three times in six years before winning the title in 1983. In November of 1980, he left to become Sports Editor of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch and moved to Dublin, Ohio. Herb enjoyed having a professional relationship with Jack Nicklaus, who held his Memorial golf tournament each year in Dublin. He led the sports department in candid coverage of Ohio State athletics. In March of 1985, Herb was named Sports Editor of the Los Angeles Times’ Orange County Edition, and later that year, he arrived at his career pinnacle by being elected President of the Associated Press Sport Editors. After serving his one-year term, he continued his work with the APSE, even into retirement. He was the APSE’s Convention Coordinator from 1997 until 2007. Herb and Esther moved from Dublin to Mission Viejo, Calif., in 1985, where they remained until Herb retired from his position with the L.A. Times in August of 1994. During his time with Times, he enjoyed helping develop the careers of many young sportswriters. Herb was always active in Baptist churches and served in many capacities. At the First Baptist Church of Prescott (now Solid Rock Christian Fellowship), he used his talents to produce the church’s monthly newsletter as well as serving multiple terms on the Board of Deacons, well into his 80s. He also served on several pastor-nominating committees. In retirement, Herb and Esther moved to Prescott, where they devoted much of their time to church and family. They also enjoyed traveling with friends and family. He remained a very active sports fan. His family will celebrate a life well lived as a faithful son, loving husband, wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather, consummate journalist and true man of God. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Esther; his daughter, Jean Hood (Wayne); his son, Ken Stutz (Lynn); three grandchildren, Chris Hood, Daniel Hood and Kathryn Stutz; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service is planned for an as yet undetermined date.