David Lee Stebbins

David Lee Stebbins, 76, of Petoskey, died December 27, 2019 at the McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey.

David was born on September 11, 1943, in Indianapolis, IN, the son of Harry Lee and Doreen (Bowles) Stebbins and grew up in Indianapolis and Flint, MI.  He graduated from Flint Northern High School and later graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1968.  David went to work for General Motors and continued working for them for almost 40 years.  He worked as an Area Parts Manager, calling on Dealership Parts Managers throughout Michigan.

On May 5, 1984, Carolyn “Carrie” Smith Corbin married the love of her life, David,  in Grand Rapids and the two later made their home in Petoskey.

David was active with his son’s travel hockey team, the Grand Rapids Phoenix Firebirds, taking on the task of scheduling games for many years.  He was a Volunteer Firefighter in Vernon for several years, was a scorekeeper for the Flint Generals hockey team and volunteered at the Little Traverse Museum during the summers.   David enjoyed cross country skiing, kayaking, walking, hiking, snowshoeing, and watching and reading about history.  He was a founding member of the ΩфK Fraternity in Flint. 

He is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Carolyn “Carrie” Corbin; daughters, Laura (Pete) Palazzolo of Fennville, and Lisa (Terry) Bykerk of Grand Rapids; son, David Michael Stebbins of Milwaukee, WI; 5 grandchildren, Elizabeth Joy Schipper , Katherine Joy Bykerk , Mark David Bykerk, Peter David Palazzolo, and Trystan David Stebbins, and; 2 sisters, Kathleen Dunham and Marilyn (Virgil) Wrubel; and by 5 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

David was preceded in death by his parents and by his late wife, Byrnina “Nonnie” Sparks Stebbins. 

A memorial service celebrating David’s life will be held on January 11th at 1pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Harbor Springs with Rev Kip Murphy and Rev Dan Furman of the Hudsonville United Church of Christ officiating.  The family will receive friends at the church from 12:00pm (Noon) until the time of service. A light lunch will follow the service.

Those wishing to honor David’s memory by making a donation to further research of myelofibrosis, a rare blood/bone marrow cancer, can do so by donating to: Myeloproliferative Research Fund, c/o the Michigan Medical Office of Development, 1000 Oakbrook Drive, Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of David Lee Stebbins, please visit our floral store.