Pat Stafford, 86, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, had a change of address to be with his Heavenly Father on Thursday, March 18, 2021.
Funeral services will be held 2 PM, Sunday, March 21, 2021, at The Paulk Funeral Home Chapel in Fitzgerald, Georgia, with the Rev. Dr. Richard Wright and the Rev. B.J. Funk officiating. Interment will be private. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home on Sunday.
Mr. Stafford was born May 11, 1934, in Centerville, Georgia, to the late Gordon Paschall & Laura Bayne Wood Stafford. He was a 1952 graduate of Fitzgerald High School and also graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering. He worked for the United States Postal Service in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta as an engineer. He helped to install the first computer at the Post Office in Atlanta. He would later work as a rural carrier in Fitzgerald. Mr. Stafford was an ordained minister and was a quiet witness for the Lord. He was always happy to share a smile and a kind word to everyone he met. Mr. Stafford was a member of Central United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Anita Beall Stafford of Fitzgerald; children: Debbie Stafford Beach & Phill of Wilcox County, Beth Stafford Renschler & Ralph of Winter Springs, Florida, Bill Stafford & Michele of Ft. Myers, Florida and Sharon Stafford Eckler & Tony of Fitzgerald; grandchildren: Joye Bell & Carlo, Wrena Almon & Jon, Kaitlyn Renschler, Ryan Renschler, Brittany Stafford, Blake Stafford, Chase Eckler & Natalie, Chandler Eckler, Lynnsey Eckler, Jody & Joe Vanden Bosch and family, Misty Fish and family, and Sam Beach & Mandy; great-grandchildren: Christian Bell and Jaiden Almon; a sister-in-law, Joann Rivers Stafford of Kingsport, Tennessee; and two nieces, Teresa Hickox & Jim and Sabrina Loparo & Bennett. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Perry Eason; and a brother, Art Stafford.
Due to COVID-19, all guests and attendees are requested to wear appropriate medical grade facemasks and to maintain social distancing at all times.