By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

Lyle and Monica Stutzman purchased a condo in Lake Panorama’s Boulder Cove community in 2017 and became full-time residents in 2021. They celebrated 41 years of married life last November, years that have been filled with both joy and challenges. 

“As a couple, we have consciously tried to focus on being positive and look for the silver lining in our lives through the love and support of our families and our faith,” Monica says. “We self-proclaimed ourselves as the ‘fun family’ when our kids were very small, and we wanted to focus on the positive experiences in life, especially in times of trial.”

Lyle grew up in Kalona, attended Mid-Prairie High School, then Iowa State University, where he majored in marketing and economics. 

Monica attended primary school in several communities before graduating from high school in Clarion. She spent three years at Iowa State University, then transferred and graduated from Oklahoma State University majoring in marketing. 

The couple met at Iowa State in 1983 and married in 1984. 

Lyle was recruited by the Gallo Winery out of college and worked for them in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Next came 38 years at Johnson Brothers Wine Company in Iowa where he began as sales manager, was promoted to general manager, then served as president for 25 years. 

During his tenure, Johnson Brothers acquired 13 companies, became Iowa’s largest wine distributor and developed Iowa’s largest craft beer portfolio. Lyle also formed Iowa’s largest spirit brokerage company in a joint venture between Johnson Brothers and the Wirtz Family in Chicago. 

Monica managed several retail jewelry stores, then transitioned to the hospitality industry as the director of sales and marketing for several large hotels in the Des Moines area. 

The couple has two children. Monica spent a few years at home while they were young, then rejoined the workforce as an event planner for Association and Legislative Resources. That led to her planning and managing more than 40 meetings and conventions each year. 

Daughter Mikhala lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Bryan Febel. She graduated from Johnston High School and Drake University, then earned a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She is the state manager for Yelp in Minnesota and also manages several Airbnb properties. Bryan is in the beverage industry, working for Pabst Labs. 

Son Morgan Stutzman also graduated from Johnston High School and Drake University. He moved to the Napa, California, area after college to work for Trinchero Family Estates where he was the brand manager for Sutter Home Wines. He recently moved to Minneapolis, working for Prestige Importers as the brand manager for Risata, Windsor Canadian and Kinky Vodka. 

HEALTH CHALLENGES

Lyle Stutzman was born with a hereditary kidney disease, Polycystic Kidneys, that resulted in the loss of both kidneys in 2007. He had been in ICU for 10 days due to the advancement of the disease and following a critical health event.  

“He was on dialysis for several months to heal and work with Mayo Clinic on potential transplantation,” Monica says. “During that time, he had 13 people come forward to offer him a kidney, which is a humbling honor. He was blessed to receive a healthy kidney transplant from a friend and co-worker of mine, Rose Mary Schira. She is a generous soul and angel on Earth.”  

Monica says this time in their lives was filled with obstacles and hurdles. 

“We chose to focus on the silver lining and the blessings that surrounded us with this gift of life and all those who lifted us and our children up during this time,” she says. “Before Lyle’s transplant, I coordinated an occasional ‘Date Night at Dialysis’ where I brought treats and movies to the dialysis center to entertain and brighten the day for Lyle and others going through this procedure with him.” 

The Stutzmans celebrate each ‘kidney-versary’ with Rose Mary by gifting her the number of roses for each year. “This year, she received 18 luscious red roses from Panorama Gardens,” Monica says.  

The immunosuppressant medicine Lyle is required to take to protect his donated kidney causes many side effects. One of those is calcium build up in the body, which led to a triple bypass at Mayo Clinic in 2020. 

With Lyle being immunosuppressant, Monica says the couple “locked down hard during COVID to protect his health, which put a damper on our usually active social lives. However, we chose to pivot and find ways to fill that need.” 

That led the Stutzmans to take online cooking, cocktail mixology and travel adventure classes with family and friends through Airbnb Experiences, Zoom happy hours, a daily online yoga class with their children, and frequently finding a TV series to watch “together” while in different states.  

LOVE OF TRAVEL

The professional career paths Lyle and Monica took exposed them to many travel opportunities. In particular, Lyle’s work in the beverage industry made it possible for them to travel the U.S. and the world visiting wineries and distilleries. 

“Our work gave us an appreciation for hospitality and the desire to learn more about other cultures. It was the springboard for the love of travel and great food and beverages for our family,” Monica says.

“Both kids have a passion for traveling and have each traveled to over 40 countries, including multiple study abroad opportunities. Mikhala lived and worked in China for a year, and she and Morgan did a 30-day backpacking trip throughout Europe together,” she says.  

In addition to many domestic and abroad trips, the couple visited Mikahala while she was living in China and Morgan while he studied in Croatia. They recently realized a big bucket list trip to do a safari and travel in South Africa, and are currently planning trips to Japan, Vietnam and Thailand.

Their most recent international trip was to Portugal. 

“We went to Lisbon and Porto to enjoy the culture, see the sights, explore the food and enjoy local port wine,” Monica says. “Our son Morgan traveled with us while Mikhala and Bryan were enjoying a trip to Turkey for Thanksgiving.” 

Morgan had a connection through his work with one of the oldest port wine companies in Portugal, with the current owners being the 14th generation. 

“He arranged for us to have a VIP tour of one of their facilities and do a tasting while we were there,” Monica says. “We loved all the exotic seafood including King Prawns the length of our forearm, barnacles and razor clams. Our new favorite cocktail is a white port and tonic, which we plan to serve at Lake Panorama this summer.” 

LAKE PANORAMA LIVING

As newlyweds, Monica told Lyle she wanted to live by water and in a warm climate.  

“We strived to make this a reality by purchasing a houseboat on Saylorville Lake and moving nearby in the heat of the summer,” Monica says. “We also chose to spend our vacations in warm climates and on beaches. As we became empty nesters, we decided to look for something on water and began exploring lakes in the Midwest.” 

It was on such an exploration they found the condo development at Boulder Cove.

“We felt this was a good fit for us as the location was near our home in Johnston and less work than purchasing a single-family home,” Monica says. “We purchased the condo in 2017, remodeled it in 2018 and moved in fulltime in 2021.” 

The couple then purchased a second condo on the water in Fort Myers, Florida.

“We have finally reached our dream of living on the water, in a warm climate, year-round. It just took two states to do it,” Monica quips. “We are there four months in the winter and like the warmer weather and the plethora of music, art and cultural activities in the area.”

The Stutzmans have a closeknit group of friends at Lake Panorama, and say they have enjoyed getting to know many others in the larger community through social and faith activities. 

“Our children love to spend time at the lake and enjoy entertaining their friends here. They consider Lake Panorama their home base. We are blessed they come to visit us often to share time at the lake, as well as many of our friends and family. This is our happy place,” Monica says. 

“We loved our lives in Johnston, friends in the Des Moines area and the convenience of having many businesses nearby,” she says. “But Lyle and I both grew up in small towns and have enjoyed getting back to a small-town atmosphere. We have embraced the wonderful businesses Panora has to offer and try to support and patronize them as often as possible.”  

The couple’s daughter, Mikhala, and her husband, Bryan, were married near Boulder Beach in September 2023. 

“We consciously used local companies, catering the food from the LPN conference center, flowers from Panorama Gardens, the most delicious gluten-free wedding cake from Crafty’s, and a pizza party for the rehearsal dinner from Lake Panorama Pizzeria,” Monica says.   

RETIREMENT ADVENTURES

Both Lyle and Monica retired in 2021 to enjoy their hobbies and pursue their travel bucket list. 

Monica has begun to explore art as a hobby, taking a weekly art class in Des Moines with a former art teacher and a handful of other artists. 

“I have enjoyed learning so much and especially enjoy the camaraderie among the group, as well as the wine while we work,” she says. 

Lyle’s favorite hobby is cooking. 

“He has enjoyed cooking his entire adult life,” Monica says. “We were exposed to great chefs and different cuisines with our work and travels, frequently taking cooking classes during our trips. Lyle enjoyed experimenting and learning new cooking techniques, and our kids love to come home to be pampered and fed by their father.” 

After retirement, Lyle decided to enroll in the Iowa Culinary Institute at DMACC in Ankeny to get formal training in the culinary arts. 

“I thoroughly enjoyed the two-year program, especially being on the chef team for the Thursday night fine dining dinners,” Lyle says. “The training helped me incorporate new techniques, new recipes and new ingredients into our daily lives.”  

Monica says she thinks the most radical change has been Lyle’s increased knowledge of baking. 

“Now we are enjoying fresh bread, homemade crackers and desserts along with his already delicious meals,” she says. “He puts great effort into planning meals for family and friends. He rarely makes the same things twice, but he has a few family favorites that are requested by our children that include dry rub wings, smoked salmon and sourdough bread.”

Beverages that pair well with the food Lyle prepares also gets a significant amount of attention. 

“Lyle loves to cook with wine, and sometimes he puts it in the food,” Monica says. 

Ask Lyle if he has a favorite wine and his quick response is “usually the one that’s open.”  

“Like our food, we like new and unique wine and crafted beverages. We seek out wine making regions in our travels, and have done so in California, Oregon, Argentina, South Africa, Canada, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal,” Monica says. 

“We also enjoy bourbon and mezcal and have traveled to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Oaxaca Mexico where they produce mezcal,” she says. “We believe a good beverage pairing can enhance the meal, just like seasoning and spices.” 

To that end, Lyle and Morgan recently attended distillery school in Denver, Colorado, to pursue their interest in learning more about distilled spirits.

Last fall, the couple was invited by the Iowa Restaurant Association to assist in the Top Chef Iowa competition. In October, they visited 13 restaurants with a group of experts to judge dishes created by chefs all over Iowa.  

“The chefs are given specific ingredients to incorporate into their dishes and Lyle was the culinary representative on the judging panel to critique their entry,” Monica says. “I was asked to be the administrative assistant to organize day of activities, collect ballots and take photos for publication. It was a fun opportunity to experience so many talented chefs, and learn about so many amazing local producers of food in our state.”

Both Lyle and Monica enjoy entertaining, he as the chef, she as the hospitality director. 

“We have organized several themed parties for my local book club, friends on the lake and friends from Des Moines,” Monica says. “We love good, themed parties. Among several events, Lyle and one of our friends, Evan Varley, hosted two annual ‘Sip and Smoke’ events where our guests enjoyed a variety of smoked meats, sides and cocktails.” 

Monica serves on the Boulder Cove HOA board and helps organize social activities, such as Cocktails in the Cove, throughout the summer. 

The couple also has made many friends in their condo community in Fort Meyers. Not surprisingly, Monica currently serves on the social committee. In 2025, she and Pam Johnson organized two Southwest Florida Snowbirds get-togethers in the Fort Myers area.

“It was so much fun meeting other people from Lake Panorama who were wintering in the south,” Monica says. “We’re planning two lunches again this year, one in Punta Gorda in February and another in Bonita Springs in March. I also organized a SW Florida Snowbird Pre-Flight happy hour at the Captain’s Pick in November to kick-off the migration south.” 

FAMILY FIRST

Early in their marriage, Lyle and Monica agreed to make family their primary focus. Monica chose to work four days a week to have one day to spend with her sister, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor more than 30 years ago, and her aging parents, calling it Family Friday.  

“Many of these Family Friday adventures were documented on social media and had quite a following,” Monica says. “I continue to be the health advocate for my sister and father, who both live in the Des Moines area, and I feel blessed to be able to do so. Someone recently asked me what brings me joy and my response was being able to care for my family and others.” 

The couple says their family mantra has always emphasized the gift of time and enjoying that time with each other. 

“With both of our children now in Minneapolis, they have continued this tradition by having Sibling Sunday, where they do something fun together each week,” Monica says.

Lyle’s father recently passed away fairly suddenly. He was in the early stages of developing the second half of his land into a housing development. He had completed one side of the land with two ponds and 14 lots and had plans to create 11 additional lots on the other side of the ponds. Located eight miles south of Iowa City, the development is called Terrace Acres. 

“Lyle and his brother, Curt, chose to continue his dream by finalizing the development,” Monica says. “They have coordinated road development, utility installations, well-drilling and all the legal documents and procedures. It’s a big project, but their father would be proud.”

It all falls in line with the Stutzman “fun family” philosophy of prioritizing time with others. 

“If you ask our kids what we often tell them, especially now that we’re trying to downsize, it would be this,” Monica says. “If you’d like to give us a gift, we prefer something to do rather than something to dust!”