Death of longtime coach, Larry ‘Chum’ Stockwell mourned

Larry “Chum” Stockwell

An icon in the local Wayne and Westland communities, Larry “Chum” Stockwell died Jan. 2.
Mr. Stockwell, 80, was the owner of Chum's Donut Shop in Westland, a business started by his father, Chalmer C. “Chum” Stockwell in 1941 and considered a veritable institution in the area.
Mr. Stockwell was the youngest of five children, born to Chalmer and Helen Marie Stockwell on Feb. 13, 1939. He grew up in Belleville and graduated from St. Mary's High School in Wayne in 1957.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Mr. Stockwell opened his Westland shop in 1966. Mr. Stockwell was known as “Coach Stockwell” to many football, basketball, baseball and softball players. They benefitted from his sports knowledge and leadership for St. Mary's teams for more than 40 years and he was a great influence and role model for countless young players.
Tributes from former students and players flooded social media acknowledging Mr. Stockwell's influence and advice to young people throughout his four decades of coaching in the area.
“He just had a huge impact locally, and was a beloved coach. He impacted thousands of kids' lives,” noted Del Reddy, one of Mr. Stockwell's former players. “He was my first baseball coach,” Reddy recalled.
Mr. Stockwell was also a member of the Knights of Columbus #3021 Notre Dame Council and was a member and leader of both the Wayne Memorial and John Glenn athletic team booster clubs, according to Reddy. “He volunteered endless hours in the community to help young people.”
Among Mr. Stockwell's survivors are his wife of 58 years, Veronica; children, Troy (Lynne) Stockwell, Todd (Sandra) Stockwell, Craig (Jill) Stockwell, Robin (Larry) Small, and Traci (Bryce) Wilson; grandchildren, Ashley Wieczorek, Sierra, Natalia, Shane, Cory, Ryan, Chaneil, Maria (Brandon) Mullins, Marguerite, Duncan, and Veronica, and great-grandchildren, Jade and Nathan. He is also survived by  his sister, Sally (Neal) Hannan and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Stockwell was pre-deceased by his siblings, Anthony “Tony” (Dorothy) Stockwell, Suzanne Schwein, and Mary Lou (Leo) Sheehan.
A funeral mass took place at St. Mary Catholic Church Jan. 7 at interment services with military honors were at Great Lakes National Cemetery yesterday.
Memorials in honor of Mr. Stockwell  may be made to: American Diabetes Association P.O. Box 15829, Arlington, VA 22215 (www.diabetes.org), American Heart Association Greater Midwest Affiliate , 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL 60674, (www.americanherat. org), National Kidney Foundation, 1169 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 (www.kidney.org), Michigan Medicine (U of M Hospital) 1000 Oakbrook Drive-Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (leadersandbest.umich.edu).
Final arrangements were entrusted to the Harry J. Will Funeral Home.