Dr. William Stump Obituary (1947

Dr. William John Stump was greeted by a thousand angels on November 17, 2021, after a battle with COVID pneumonia alongside his diabetic downfall. Bill was born on April 18, 1947, in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to his father John William Stump and his mother Margaret McKenney. He would go on to have four younger siblings, two brothers and two sisters. In high school, Bill was offered a National Merit scholarship which helped pay for college. He attended Pennsylvania State, Hershey Medical School, Georgetown University, Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, and the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland where he went on to study Neuro-Muscular Disease. He also fulfilled his military obligation in the Public Health Service. Bill worked numerous summer jobs to save up for college. Of these jobs, his favorite was Hershey Park where he loved the rollercoasters and found his love for chocolate! He worked in the steel mills in PA as well; not such a fun job but it paid well. Later in life, Bill moved to Washington State and accepted a job position with the Dr's Clinic in Bremerton for many years. After working there, he went solo into Private Practice in Bremerton. He also worked for Labor and Industry with panels of consultants doing Independent Medical Exams. Working with his colleagues was his joy! He often said, "this is why I go to work." There were always stories to tell. Bill's favorite lady was his wife, Jan, of 45 years, "my baby baby" as he called her. Jan and Bill loved to travel the world and see amazing places. Bill knew about everything and was a wealth of knowledge, sometimes even teaching our tour guides something! Our favorite place to spend time together with friends and family was at our condo in Whistler. Our favorite moments there were Christmas with the grandchildren. Together, Bill and Jan had 2 children, Courtney and Colin. Daughter Courtney, married to Josh Baker, have two children Reid (8) and RaeLynn (5). Courtney loved adventuring with her dad and was an amazing gymnast who Bill was incredibly proud of. In 2019, Courtney gave her dad the best gift of all; she saved his life by giving him her kidney and because of her generosity we all enjoyed these past few years with him. Courtney was his Rock! If something was happening that was not right with her dad, she would square it away. They were a lot alike, and she worked to keep up with him. Josh and Bill were also a lot alike and shared the same love for sports. They were often found together watching sports and talking statistics. Two peas in a pod! Bill loved to watch Reid play baseball and hear his stories about their activities. RaeLynn is a fearless gymnast just like her mom and this made Bill so proud. Bill's second child was Colin Stump, who is married to Nicole Stump, and together they have two children Connor (10) and Carly (7). Colin was Bill's right-hand man. If something needed to be done, Bill would call on Colin. They were best friends and they had a lot of projects and fun together. Bill liked doing puzzles with his daughter-in-law Nicole. Nicole was his right-hand when it came to working with him and scheduling billing. He was appreciative for all that she did for him. Bill really enjoyed watching Connor and Carly play hockey; he was their #1 fan! He would arrange his work schedule so he could make it to their games. Bill was so proud of his grandchildren - all athletes and competitive, just like their Papa! We enjoyed going to their events and encouraging them to be the best they could be. Bill loved planting flowers. He would tell Jan that he could never bring her a bouquet because he liked live flowers/plants. He loved hiking with his kids and best friend Jim Green. One of his most favorite hikes that he did was the Ozzett Triangle, in which he got to bring his grandkids. They traveled 9 miles and spent two nights on the beach. He loved to travel, read, go to the movies, collect postage and bowties, and his mustache! He dearly loved his favorite two dogs, Obie and Dobie, who were Bichon Frise. We had many Ragdoll cats as well and we loved them all. He had many collections such as coins, stamps, trains, library books of all subjects, movies and toys, old and new. He liked all sports including wrestling and soccer but football, specifically Penn State, was his all time favorite. He even was the coach for his son's soccer team, the Screaming Eagles, state champions. He loved Hershey chocolate and ice cream, which was his before bed treat while watching Fox News and Tucker. He loved his country! He was always reading, even while brushing his teeth, because he didn't want to miss a single minute of learning something he didn't know. He was a very curious man and when traveling for work, he would listen to books on tape. On Saturday mornings he liked watching cartoons with the grandchildren, with them always wanting to watch Peppa Pig. Bill had a Koi Fish pond in which he raised the Koi from their beginning. This was his solace, and the grandchildren were always around the pond to lend a helping hand. This was their "special thing" with Papa. Bill loved the holidays and decorating the house inside and out. Bill and Jan loved their home, it was truly the house that Bill built. They lived there for 37 years and in those 37 years, many people came and went. The door was always open, and it was referred to as the gathering place for all friends and family. Bill loved chaos, being in the eye of the storm with family all around. One afternoon after work, he decided to take a rest before dinner. He didn't wake up until Colin, his son, couldn't reach him and asked the hotel to go check on him. From there it is history; he never woke up. He ended up having COVID pneumonia along with his diabetic downfall. He was taken to the emergency room and was in the hospital for over two weeks. The nurses and doctors were amazing, and the prayers from friends and family everywhere were uplifting. Little by little, his body shut down and he ended up having cardiac arrest. The Good Lord said "enough" and took him to a better place with no more suffering and no more paid. He was now in God's hands. We miss him and love him and will forever hold him in our hearts. He gave us all so much. Bill was extremely intelligent, accepting any challenge of helping people whenever he could. This was the gift that God blessed him with, his patients and his friends. We all miss Bill and all the joy we shared just living and being together. Our lives will be forever changed. As we walk with God, our Faith will see us through. A special thanks to Virginia Mason and the Kidney Transplant team for keeping him going and giving him that extra time with us. Also, thanks to Dr. George Evenoff who was an amazing friend and Bill's personal doctor. Thank you to all his co-workers that he got to know over the years and all his friends and family that he cherished and held so close. Thank you to Dr. Shalom (Daniel) Seltzer who was one of Bill's most treasured friend. And a huge thank you to Bill's traveling partners Phil & Debbi Freud and Lee Anita & Stephen Coleman who worked to help complete his bucket list. Another special thanks to Bill's friend Dr. Charles Peterson along with his wife Judy who supported Jan while Bill was in the hospital and every day since. Jan will be forever grateful for their kind words, encouragement, and prayers. To all these important friends: You are amazing and have done an incredible job. The Stump Family thank you all from the bottom of their hearts. A celebration of life will announced at a later date. Here are some special words from his colleagues: "This place will not be the same without him. He has been with us for the entire tenure with MCN. I am heartbroken to hear of his passing. My love to you and the rest of the family." -- Jenny "Dr. Stump has and always will be one of my favorite doctors. He has the nicest personality and will really be missed. It was always a pleasure to work with him over these past ten years, and a welcome sight to know that it was a "Stump Day". - Aimee "I can hardly imagine doing this work without Dr. Stump." - Irene "He was one of my favorite doctors to work with. I have been here since 2012 and have worked with him since I was just a baby out of college. He will be very missed!" - Kristine "We loved him so much and MCN will never be the same." - Tammy "Dr. Stump was always so kind and had a story to share with a twinkle in his eye. I know I'll remember his Hershey stories. We truly enjoyed working with him." - Lise N. "I was so stunned to hear of Dr. Stump's passing. I worked with him many times over the years, and he was always fun to work with, and a good doctor. I'm sure he knew he was loved in his last days, having his family there. I hope time helps heal the pain, and you find comfort in memories of good times with him." - Wini Hamilton, DC "I met Dr. Stump in my 3rd day of work at MCN almost 10 years ago. In this terrible time, I hope you all know how much we all enjoyed working with him and what a huge loss this leaves." - Katie M. "So sorry to hear about Dr. Stump's transition to the office in the sky. I had the supreme privilege of working on panel exams with him several times over the past few years. He was an academic Giant and I always learned several things from him with each examination. I also enjoyed his rather wry and occasionally sarcastic sense of humor. I also admired his ability to manipulate but display kindness and respect to several of our more challenging clients/patients. He will be missed." - Daniel Brzusek, DO "Bill was a wonderful man and a great guy to work with. I will really miss him and his colorful bowties as well as his profound understanding of medicine. His knowledge base, demeanor, and class as a physician I have always respected. Few were as good, and you should know that." - E. Pepper Toomey, MD "Dr. Stump was very well respected among his peers and our IME community is truly saddened." - Caroyln L. "Beyond sad. The world loses a great clinician and a great spirit. We all lose a friend. Best wishes to the family." - Dr. Rudd "I am so sorry to hear it. Though I never got to work with Dr. Stump, I always enjoyed reading his clear reports, and enjoyed the few times I got to chat with him (as well as the stories the other MCN docs would pass along about him!)" - Dr. Wray "Thank you for the news. A sad day - I knew him for a long time. We would like to remember our old friend. A friend of mine called him challenging - and we both laughed. He had a good heart, he was smart, and I was glad he was my friend. There are tears in my eyes as I think of him." - Dr. Bauer "I never met his family but worked with Bill for well over a decade. He helped me through the steep learning curve of doing IMEs and I always valued his wisdom and advice. I also enjoyed his company, as did every other physician I know." - Dr. Reiss "Great doctor and I was lucky to know him as a valuable colleague." - Dr. Hall "He was a true gentleman, and it was a pleasure to work with him." - Dr. Lloyd "I am saddened by his death. We worked together intermittently over the last twenty years. He brought superb clinical skills, insight, and compassion to his work. He will be greatly missed." - Dr. O' Riordan "I had the privilege and honor to work for the last dozen or so years with Bill doing IMEs for MCN. In fact, I was supposed to work with him several days this week. When I first started coming to WA to do these evals, he was a mentor guiding me through the intricacies of LNI cases. Over the years, I feel we became friends and looked forward to working with one another. In the Orthopedic Community, it is said that we stand on the Shoulders of Giants. I will fondly and sincerely remember the time I spent standing on his shoulders. I am so sorry for your loss and can only be thankful, any time of his suffering was relatively short." - Clarence H. Fossier, MD