Friend. Intellectual. A generous man.

That’s how family members and friends are remembering Suttons Bay attorney Stuart Hollander, who died Sunday evening. Hollander, 53, collapsed at the Suttons Bay marina.

Rescue personnel arrived quickly, but he could not be revived.

STUART AND ROSE Hollander were photographed
at his Suttons Bay law office earlier this summer
after the couple released a book, Saving the
Family Cottage. Hollander wrote the book
and his wife was the publisher.

“He was probably perceived as being aloof and not over-generous,” said longtime friend Karl Bahle. “But he was the kindest, most generous person I’ve ever known. Stuart always had time for people … He loved his town, his community, people and his family.”

Bahle and Hollander were acquainted through Bahle’s former wife, who had known Hollander when she lived in California. A longtime seasonal visitor to the area, Hollander earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his law degree from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law in 1980.

He relocated to Leelanau County permanently after his admission to the Michigan Bar in 1989 and hung his shingle at the old depot building on the south end of the Village of Suttons Bay.

Soon after, he discovered a niche in the area of “cottage law” in northern Michigan, which is marked with a high percentage of seasonal recreational homes. Hollander began helping clients navigate the labyrinth faced when trying to preserve family cottages and cabins, the values of which have grown rapidly over the years.

Earlier this summer, Hollander and his wife, Rose, released a 230-page book devoted to the topic. Saving the Family Cottage has been well received and has seen swift sales since its release in early July. The Enterprise published a feature story on the Hollanders’ book last month.

Karen Schaub of Suttons Bay worked as a legal assistant in Hollander’s depot office for the past 71⁄2 years.

“Stuart was someone who always enjoyed a challenge, and probably actually looked for them,” Schaub said of her employer. “He had a sense of humor and enjoyed a good laugh, whether it was directed at him or if he was the one pulling a fast one.”

Bahle also enjoyed Hollander’s sense of humor over the years.

“Spending any amount of time with Stuart was the best,” Bahle said of his longtime friend, with whom he shared interest in boats, food, books and music. “He’d go along on our bird hunting trips to Canada, but he never shot anything. He just enjoyed spending time together.”

Bahle and Hollander, two friends who had celebrated 30th, 40th and 50th birthdays together, reflected on their lives when they last saw each other Friday night.

“He talked about how proud he was about his kids (Ian and Catherine),” Bahle said of his friend. Bahle said both men agreed that they’d probably never totally retire. “I told him it was time for him to ‘take a bow’ for himself …

“(Hollander) was my best friend. He was somebody who would provide lots of support, but wasn’t afraid to tell me when I was wrong,” Bahle reflected. “I will miss him dearly.”