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LTC (Ret) Mial Davis (Mike) Stafford, 89, of Columbus, died Friday, June 6, 2008, at his home. Funeral services with military honors will be held 4 pm on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary Chapel, Dr. Brad Hicks officiating. Private interment will follow at Chapel of the Pines Mausoleum in Parkhill Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home today from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. Mike was born on December 1o, 1918, in Shanghai, China, to the late Roy Davis and Julia Wright Stafford. His father was Treasurer of the Baptist Missions in China. Mike spent his childhood, however, in Berea, Kentucky, where his father served as Treasurer of Berea College. Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, was Mike's preparation for entering Yale University, where he was a member and soloist with the Yale Glee Club and a graduate of the Class of 1940. Mike's military career began in 1941 with the onset of World War II. He served in the Pacific Theater and attended Officer's Candidate School at Ft. Benning. After serving as an instructor at the School, he was transferred to the European Theater. In combat in Italy Mike was awarded both the Silver Star and Bronze Star for valor. During the Korean Conflict he was hand-picked to serve on the staff of General Maxwell Taylor. After serving tours in Maine, New Jersey, Germany, and Georgia, Mike retired from the military in 1967. Thereafter, he joined CB&T as a Trust Officer, retiring as a Vice President in 1984. Mike's recreational interests included tennis, skiing, mountain climbing, solving Sudoku puzzles, and maintaining his lawn. Music was a life-long passion. Mike played violin with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra under Harry Kruger. He also sang with the Columbus Chorale under Bill Bullock and enjoyed singing with Barber Shop groups. He was a charter member of the Yale Alumni Chorus, an affiliation highlighted by a concert tour of China in the summer of 1998, accompanied by his family. In later years, Mike participated enthusiastically in leading the singing with the senior group Joyful Servants and in singing with the ensemble mission group Merry Makers. Mike never lost his appreciation of the wonders of nature and the mysteries of life. Mike is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy Stafford of Columbus, two daughters, Jane Stafford of Oberursel, Germany, and Susan Stafford of Herndon, Virginia, and one graddaughter, Kelley Frenkel Petty, of Newnan, Georgia. Mike was a long-term member of Wynnbrook Baptist Church. Members of his adult men's Sunday school class will be honorary pallbearers.
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1918 - 2008 (89 years)
