John William Suiter

John William ‘Bill’ Suiter passed away on September 19, 2022 at home surrounded by his family . He was born on July 21,1940 in Roseberg, Oregon to Joseph William and Lula Fry Suiter.  Bill was the 9th of 10 children and loved growing up in a large family with his 6 brothers and 3 sisters. He loved Oregon and taking family trips to the coast and to the cabin his Dad built. At the age of 16, he enlisted in the service to serve his country. He later married and was blessed with two children, his daughter, Tina Lynn, and son, Terry William..

    Bill then moved to Southern California, and became a car hauler in auto transport. It was a job that would take him across all 48 mainland states throughout his career. Bill always had a United States Atlas handy, even 20 years after retiring, and could tell you about almost any US city or highway you asked him about. 

   In 1983, he married his sweetheart and love of his life, Debby Ott.  She also had two children from a previous marriage, Annjanette and Steven, whom he loved and raised as his own. They made their first home together in Camarillo, CA, and then Reno, NV, and finally in 1990 moved to Meridian, ID. 

    Bill loved life and had many hobbies he was passionate about.  He loved car racing, and spent many years racing TQ Sprint Midgets at the Ventura County Speedway. He loved fishing and the outdoors, and taking their camper trailer into the mountains, to the Oregon coast, and especially to Alaska in the summer, and to Arizona in the winter. Bill was a skilled woodworker who enjoyed creating everything from small birdhouses to large sheds and playhouses for his grandchildren. He also had a passion for restoring old cars with his most recent accomplishments being rebuilt 1949 and 1951 Chevys. 

    However, Bill’s greatest passion was family. He absolutely loved being a brother, father, uncle, and especially “Papa” to his grandkids. He always had a candy dish, a story to share, an ear to listen, and a high score on Yahtzee. He was never too busy for family and friends and he made sure every niece, nephew, and grandchild always thought they were his favorite.

   Bill is survived by his loving wife, Debby of Meridian, ID; his children: Tina Bates of Roseberg, OR; Terry Suiter of Anchorage, AK; Annjanette and Jonathan Whiting of Garden Valley, ID; and Steven Blackmer and Chrissy Nalder of Boise, ID; 28 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. 

    Funeral Services will be held Monday, September 26th at 11am at the Lochsa Falls LDS Chapel at 1450 W Cayuse Creek Dr, Meridian, ID with interment following at Cloverdale Memorial Park. Funeral Arrangements are under the direction of Cloverdale Funeral Home.