Summary
James Edward Stansbury Jr., 97, of Petersburg died on Thursday, April 16, 2009.
Stan was born in King William County, Va., to a well-to-do, but restless family. He with his mom (Edmonia), brother (Harry) and two sisters (Mary and "Toots") moved from place to place as his father built canning factories up and down the Eastern Seaboard from New York to Cuba. His father's fateful decision to cash in on the Florida land boom after World War I brought Stan to the rural town of Sopchoppy. This provided him with some thrilling youthful tales of the varied life on the less traveled parts of the Florida Gulf Coast. These have become family legends for his two children, Jim and Linda, two grandchildren (Jeff and Cristal) and five great- grandchildren (Brandon, Sally, Henry, Ethan and Zack in that order.) The crash of 1929 introduced the family to hit hard times and it was the incentive that around 1931 launched a young high school graduate on a 30-year Army career. Stan did not stay long in the enlisted ranks. He graduated from OCS as a new second lieutenant in 1932 and once again traveled the country from Florida to Alaska with a stop in Texas in 1943 that resulted in a 66-year marriage to Mildred. A son joined the family in Houston and shortly thereafter mom and son arrived in Okinawa with the first group of dependents to accompany the allied occupation forces at the end of World War II. On a return assignment to Ft. Bliss near El Paso the family was joined by a daughter. Next there was an unaccompanied detour to the Korean War where he served honorably as a petroleum supply officer. Next it was off to Ft. Lewis, Wash., Japan, Fort Lee, Va., and finally an assignment to Stuttgart, Germany, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1961. After that, he returned to the Fort Lee area which has been his home until now. After completing 20 more years of federal civilian service, he retired from Fort Lee at the age of 70 after serving many years as their chief of the Plans, Training and Security Directorate. He did not stay idle after retirement. Golf was a passion until about a year ago, and there is a hole-in-one trophy for hole #3 at the Fort Lee course to show for it. He is a member of the Faith Lutheran Parish, was a past president of the Prince George Lions Club, past president of the Fort Lee/Richmond chapter #72 National Sojourners, Scottish Rite Mason for over 40 years, Powhatan Starke Lodge 124, member of Retired Officers Association and so on. Finally, he just wore out.See the full content of this document
Extract
James E. Stansbury Jr.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mildred Leah Stans...
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