Obituary for Jay Stafford

Jay Stafford

October 11, 1926 – November 19, 2022

Jay Hawley Stafford, 96, formerly of Ponca City, OK, left this life on November 19, 2022, in Oklahoma City, OK. Viewing will be from 11:00 AM until service time, Monday, November 28, 2022 at Trout Funeral Home & Crematory. A Funeral Ceremony will be held at 2:00 PM, Monday, November 28, 2022 at Trout Funeral Home Chapel. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory, 505 W. Grand Ave., Ponca City, OK, 74604.

Jay was born on October 11, 1926, in Ponca City, OK, to Evart Hawley Stafford and Cecil Vivian (Dack) Stafford. Since his father was an oil land man, the family moved to Duncan, Oklahoma, Midland, TX, San Antonio, and finally Houston in 1932, where Jay grew up. He entered Texas A & M College in 1943. He interrupted his college to serve in the U.S Navy for one and a half years. He re-entered Texas A & M in 1946, graduating in 1948 with a degree in Agriculture. After graduation, he worked for Ray Geophysics in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Guatemala, and the domestic US. He met Reno Oldfield from Newport, KY who was teaching in Saudi Arabia, and they married in 1954.

He re-entered Texas A&M in 1960 and obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1963. He returned to Ponca City in 1963 where he worked at Conoco from 1963 to 1985. Reno passed in 1975. He married Mildred “Millie” Pittman in 1978. Following retirement from Conoco, he worked at Mertz, Inc until 1989, at which time he officially retired from the workforce. Jay served on the Rural Water District 1 Board since 1983 and was a volunteer Secretary-Treasurer from 1995 until 2017. He was an active member of Pioneer Genealogical Society, the Noon Lions, and Doodlebuggers organization. He also was a member of the Elks Club and American Legion.

Jay was a gentle man, a true gentleman. He had a green thumb and loved to raise flowers and vegetable gardens. He was known for his gardens and gave away most of the produce. Jay had lots of patience and could fix anything. He was happiest when he could help someone, although he never wanted to call attention to himself. His favorite pastimes were solving Sudoku puzzles, watching college football, and spending hours on the computer – processing genealogy information regarding his and Millie’s ancestors. After moving to senior living in Oklahoma City, Jay became acquainted with the game of Cornhole which he enjoyed tremendously.

He was preceded in death by: his parents; wife, Reno; brother, Robert E Stafford, and nephew, Mark Stafford. He is survived by: his wife, Millie; sister-in-law, Joan Stafford of Aiken, SC; niece, Holly Stafford; cousins, Patricia Ellis, Anne Mulholland and Kay Mulholland; cousin, Betty Hess of Winfield, KS., and extended family member, Jean Oldfield.

In lieu of flowers, Millie asks that memorials be sent to: Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840. Please designate “Jay H. Stafford ’48 Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering” in the memo line of the check.

Source: Trout Funeral Home