Robert William Stafford (1923-2009)
STAFFORD, HASBROUCK, ROSENBERG, JORGENSEN, SMITH, HAMPTON, SHROPSHIRE
Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 6/9/2009 at 22:08:43
THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Tuesday, June 9, 2009.
Robert W. Stafford, 85, of Ames, died Sunday, June 7, 2009, at his home. Arrangements are pending with the Adams Funeral Home and Cremation Service.
THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, June 10, 2009.
Robert W. Stafford, 85, of Ames, died Sunday, June 7, 2009, at his home. Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, June 12, at Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Ames. A gathering of family and friends will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at the church. Visitation is an option Thursday at Adams Funeral Home.
Bob was born Oct. 17, 1923, in Ames, to Clay W. Stafford and Mabel (Hasbrouck) Stafford. He graduated from Ames High School in 1942 and attended Iowa State College. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and flew more than 30 missions over Germany as a B-17 co-pilot, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross with four oak leaf clusters. He graduated with a business administration degree from Northwestern University in 1948.
He worked for Central Life Insurance in Des Moines, continued his military connection with the Iowa Air National Guard and saw additional duty as a finance officer and pilot in the Korean conflict. He continued his military service with the National Guard into the 1960s, retiring with the rank of colonel.
In 1954, he became a third-generation banker at First National Bank in Ames, where he had worked as a high school student. He became president in 1968 and was later named chairman of the board. He also was president of Ames National Corporation. He retired in 2003, but maintained an office at the North Grand office.
He married Virginia Rosenberg Aug. 29, 1948, in Burlington. They were married for nearly 61 years. Their four children are Marcia S. Jorgensen, of Overland Park, Kan., Craig W. Stafford, of Topeka, Kan., Brian J. (Jeanne) Stafford, of Castle Rock, Colo., and Maren (Gerald) Smith, of Chengdu, China. There are 10 grandchildren, Liisa Jorgensen (Mac) Hampton, Lindsay Jorgensen (Randy) Shropshire, Andrew (Tracy) Jorgensen, Clay Stafford, Ashley Stafford, Audrey Stafford, Lauren Stafford, Kaitlyn Stafford, Adam Smith and Kyle Smith; four great-grandchildren, Lily Shropshire, Mackenzie Hampton, Alex Hampton and Samantha Jorgensen; and one step-great-grandchild, Ryan Shropshire.
He was on staff and a counselor at Cheley Colorado Camps, Estes Park, before World War II, and in 1946 and 1947. He was a founding member of the John Austin Cheley Foundation, serving as treasurer and financial advisor. He was president of Jaycees, a past president of the Ames Noon Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, and past board member and treasurer of the Ames Chamber of Commerce. He was a lifetime Iowa State University Foundation governor, serving as treasurer and chair of the investment and finance committees, and received an Iowa State University Honorary Alumni Award in 2007. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and served as a chapter advisor. He was a co-sponsor of the Fraternity Buyers Association, and as an undergraduate was business manager for the Iowa State Daily.
He was a member of the 94th Bomb Group Memorial Association, the Eighth Air Force Association and the Iowa Air Force Association. He was a member of Collegiate Presbyterian Church and served as a trustee.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to the Ames Historical Society, the Northcrest Retirement Community Endowment Fund or the John Austin Cheley Foundation.
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