David Stiteler

David Joseph Stiteler passed away on Friday, February 13th in Silverdale, Washington. He was born August 23, 1933, in Smicksburg, Pennsylvania, the third of seven children born to Darrell and Elizabeth Stiteler.

He was an avid outdoorsman his entire life, starting in his youth with hunting and fishing in the rugged, beautiful forests of Pennsylvania. Dave's sense of adventure and patriotism drove him to leave high school for the US Navy where he served for 4 years on the USS Wisconsin during the Korean War. During his service, he trained and worked as a Chemical and Electrical Engineer, which led to his career with Westinghouse.

That sense of adventure and boundless energy led to a cross-country move to Richland, Washington in 1978. Dave continued to work for Westinghouse at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. He and his wife, Linda, built a home in Richland and another in Sequim, Washington, while still living and working in Richland. After retiring from Westinghouse, Dave and Linda moved to Sequim. They also lived in Florida and Oregon before finally moving to Belfair, Washington.

Dave loved mastering anything that he was interested in. He would research and experiment until he became an expert. One of his greatest areas of expertise was cooking. He was incredibly proficient across all culinary disciplines, but his baking and preserving were particularly outstanding. Anyone lucky enough to have tasted his buckwheat pancakes and homemade sausage or his legendary Christmas stollen bread can attest to his skills.

Dave was preceded in death by his son David, daughter Charisse Ann Backus and son-in-law Darren Backus. Dave was truly larger than life and he will be deeply missed by his wife Linda, his daughter Terri and son-in-law Allan Robes, his granddaughter Meccala Wright and her husband Shane Wright, grandsons Luke, Lane, and Ledger, his sisters Betty Ann, Honey (Rosemary), and Becky, brother-in-law Tom Smith and his wife Carrie, many nieces and nephews, as well as extended family, Douglas, Ahn Lee, Nathan and Nina Horn, and his many dear friends near and far.

Dave was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). A military memorial service at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies will be held at 1:00 pm on June 5th, 2026.