Gerald Stafford 's Obituary
A Celebration of Life for Gerald Glen Stafford of Longview will be 2:00 p.m., Friday, March 23, 2018, at First Methodist Church in Longview with Jay Jackson and Mary Collier officiating. The family will receive friends at 1:00 p.m. in the Cook Foyer of the church. Gerald passed away Monday, March 19, 2018. He was a beloved husband, father and friend.
Gerald was born in Oklahoma and grew up in California. He was a veteran of the United States Army where he proudly served in the 81st Airborne Division from 1948 through 1952. After his discharge from the Army, Gerald began working in the car business which became his passion. He worked in several capacities for dealerships in California before moving to Texarkana after acquiring the Cadillac-Honda dealership and opening Stafford Cadillac in 1974. Gerald and his beloved wife, Millicent, moved to Longview in the mid 90’s after he acquired an ownership interest in the Toyota dealership and became general manager of Toyota of Longview. Until the dealership was recently sold, Gerald went to his office every day and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the dealership’s many loyal customers. He loved his employees and missed not being part of the day-to-day business operations after retiring. Gerald always strove to “do the right thing” in running the dealerships and prided himself on a strong work ethic which he taught to his family through actions and example.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Millicent, daughter and son-in-law, Shelly and Dan Dunn of Texarkana, step-daughter and husband, Shelli and Tony Engle of Springdale, AR, and step-son, Chris Barnette of Tyler. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Jennifer Arnold, Jason Stafford, Reese Dunn and Michelle McFarland; four great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Gerald was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. G.A. Stafford, and his son Michael Stafford.
The family would like to thank all those who helped in Gerald’s care in recent years as his health began to decline. In particular, special thanks and appreciation go to Pam and Dr. Ron Scott, for their devoted care and friendship. Words cannot express the family’s gratitude for all you did for Gerald. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to First Methodist Church in Longview or to the charity of your choice in memory of Gerald.
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