Pete Steven Shuput, 93, passed away February 4, 2017, at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah, surrounded by his family. He was a loving husband, father, uncle, son, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His family will miss him deeply, especially his expansive stories, soft chuckle, and relish for good food and company.
Pete was born on October 3, 1923, to Sava Shuput and Boya Prica, who immigrated from Yugoslavia. He was proud of his Serbian heritage and enjoyed sharing Serbian Christmas dinner each year with his family. He had a strong work ethic, which he passed on to his family. His first job was selling newspapers on the corner. As a young man, he worked at the Garfield copper smelter and was a lifeguard at Saltair Resort, where he once saved the life of a man who was drowning while swimming out to Antelope Island. He served in the Air Force during World War II.
Pete attended both Utah State and the University of Utah, graduating from the latter with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. Pete taught school briefly, and owned and operated a private social club for a time, but his passion was for automobiles. He started his own car dealership, Shuput Motor, operating for 23 years. He enjoyed his associations with his fellow salesmen and dealers.
He married his best friend June Olsen Shuput on October 13, 1951. They have three children: Melanie, Steve, and Shauna.
Pete enjoyed driving on trips with his family, preferring to take a fully-equipped Cadillac from his car lot. He took his family boating, swimming, fishing, and exploring at places like Bear Lake, Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge, Yellowstone, California and Disneyland. He told wonderful stories, many of which were true.
Pete was always the life of the party. He took great pride in his pool and hot tub, and he loved the many hours he spent there with family and friends, especially his grandchildren.
Pete is survived by his wife, June; his son, Steve (Sausha) Shuput; and his daughters, Melanie (Bruce) Decker and Shauna Shuput. He loved his many grandchildren: Karina Decker (Zac) Herman, Marin Decker, Faroe Decker (Matt) Robinson, Ryan (Danielle) Shuput, Vanessa Shuput (Brandon) Garcia, Elizabeth Shuput, Jane Shuput (Seb) Camp, Evan Shuput, Koan Shuput, and Mya Shuput. He also had eight beloved great-grandchildren: Zia and Xander Herman; Kaiden, Dean and Ethan Robinson; Che and Alice Garcia; and Elora Camp. He was preceded in death by his parents and all his siblings.
A graveside funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday February 10, 2017, at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 1352 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah. See larkinmortuary.com for more information. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The Kidney Foundation of Utah in his name; see kidneyut.org.
