By Dave Schwab

Copyright timesofsandiego

NORTH PACIFIC BEACH – Hubert “Stutz” Sturtevant, a resident of Ivy Park at La Jolla, celebrated an important birthday on Aug. 27.

Sturtevant, affectionately nicknamed “Stutz” after the short-lived luxury car brand of the same name, is now a full century old.

Sturtevant credited sobriety, in part, for his longevity. Asked what the most important thing in life was, he quipped, “Breathing. It’s worked for me,” which drew smiles and applause from his audience and a TV crew there to document his personal milestone.

Located at 810 Turquoise St., Ivy Park at La Jolla is a senior living facility offering assisted living and memory care services.

An aerospace engineer by trade, Stutz was one of seven children. Among his most significant accomplishments was his participation in Atlas, America’s first ICBM and the pioneering workhorse of the U.S. space program. He continued his aerospace career for many years following his time in the Navy.

Crowned king for the day and surrounded by family and friends, Stutz reminisced, told stories, and answered questions about attaining age 100.

The love of Stutz’s life was his wife, Ellen, daughter of Judge James and Josephine Fane, to whom he was married for 64 years, and who died in 2012.

“They only dated for about six weeks, though they knew each other longer,” noted Stutz’s eldest son, Peter. “He was only in town about six weeks before they got married.”

“That was the end of my course at the Naval Station on 32nd Street,” said Stutz.

The pair celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego.

About being an aerospace engineer, Stutz said, “I did take part in the Atlas program testing equipment.”

His daughter, present at his centennial birthday party, said that Stutz’s children would ask about his job, and he would answer, “Oh, can’t talk about that, that’s top secret.”

“To a large degree that was true,” admitted Stutz.

“They used to test the rocket engines out in eastern San Diego,” said son Peter. “From where we lived 10 miles away, we could hear the roar of those rockets in the late ’50s. It was a pretty big deal.”

About working for the Atlas ICBM program, Stutz’s son Peter noted, “One good thing was it moved us all from New Jersey out here to San Diego. That was the biggest thing in our lives.”

Asked what is key to a happy life, Stutz replied, “I found it in sobriety. I haven’t had a drink in well over 30 years. That’s where I found my happiness. When I gave up drinking, that was a high point for me.”

Stutz had seven children. Six remain.

Of his wife, Ellen, whom he married in 1948, Stutz noted: “I thought she was a lovely person. She always seemed to think about other people. It was a happy marriage.”

“I know she (mom) was able to feed us kids for $20 a month,” pointed out son Peter. “She was very good at cooking.”

Eldest son Peter complimented his dad on his character. “The proudest thing, and we heard a lot about it as kids, was his going through the Naval Academy and being a Naval officer in the late ’40s,” he said.

There was one thing in particular that stands out in Peter’s memory about his dad. “I never even gave it a thought anybody could ever have anything other than a wonderful father,” he said. “It wasn’t until I was in my mid-40s, when I was stunned to hear any number of men who had unhappy experiences with their dads, for one reason or another.

“I was just stunned because my dad was everything a kid could want to have as far as encouragement and support. That’s how good my dad has been all of my life.”

“Thank you, Pete, you were a great son,” said Stutz on his 100th birthday.