Charles “Chuck” Stafford, 86, passed away on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.  Chuck was born in Evergreen Park, IL, on November 7, 1939.  In his youth, he worked in his grandfather’s barbershop and enjoyed spending his summers with family in Michigan.  Being the gifted kid that he was, he graduated from high school at age 16 and attended Purdue University.  He served our country in the U.S. Army from 1963-1965, serving overseas in Prüm, Germany as a radio operator.  He met the love of his life, Dee, in 1960 and they were married in 1966.  They raised two beautiful daughters in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.  He was a Vice President for Meccon Industries, Inc., a mechanical contracting company in Lansing, IL, for over 40 years, and was the Project Manager for such projects as the Wrigley Plant in Atlanta, and the Delta and United Airlines terminals at O’Hare Airport in Chicago.  After retiring, he and Dee moved to Brooksville, FL in 2016.

He is predeceased by his brother, Robert “Bobby” Stafford, his father, Cheston Ferris Stafford, and his mother, Grace Marion Stafford (née Harvey).  Our Papa Chuck fiercely loved and protected his devoted family, and he is survived by his beloved bride, Dee Stafford (née Marcanio), his two lovely daughters, Jennifer (Adam) Haynes, and Melissa (Cody) Deller; and three wonderful grandchildren: Sydney Abigail Haynes, Finnley Malloy Deller, and Burgundy Addison Deller, of whom he was so extremely proud.  He is also survived by his brothers Thomas Stafford and Jack Stafford, as well as his brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and several cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.  He loved his family above all, and still adorably referred to his wife of almost 60 years as “His Bride.”  Chuck and Dee would have celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary this May.

Chuck was a gifted musician and vocalist, playing piano, guitar, bassoon, oboe and trumpet.  His family lovingly teased that there wasn’t an instrument he couldn’t pick up and play like he’d been taking lessons his whole life, and many a happy memory centers around Chuck playing either the piano or guitar while the family would gather round and sing.  He very recently stated that the happiest times of his retired life were playing music with his grandchildren, most notably playing piano with the pit orchestra during Central High School’s run of Little Shop of Horrors.

His passing still comes as a shock to all of us, and the weight of his loss will be felt for a very long time, but the family would be remiss if we did not express our gratitude to his team of caregivers: The late Dr. Joseph Idicula, Dr. Georges Joseph, Dr. Michael Higgins, Dr. Arnie Tannenbaum, Dr. Daisy Reyes, Dr. Vikas Malhotra, Dr. Jose Pascual, Dr. Mahmoud Bourghli, Dr. Aaron Cooks, Dr. Laura Shea, and all of their staff; the ICU residents and nurses (especially Jen² in ICU, and Cynthia in PCU) at Oak Hill Hospital, the CNAs, the PT/OT/ST teams, as well as his entire team of Respiratory Therapists at both Oak Hill Hospital and AdventHealth Connerton (you were his favorites!); to Dr. Chirag V. Shah, Dr. Danish Siddiq, Dr. George Muthalakuzhy, Dr. Ambreen Qureshi, all the attending physicians, the NPs, PAs, Chaplains, and the staff of AdventHealth Connerton LTAC, as well as William and Carrie Q. at Rotech.  A special mention to Frances, his PCU nurse the last few nights at Connerton, and to James, his ICU nurse the last day at Connerton, who went more than above and beyond, working on and staying with Papa Chuck (and us) through the hardest of days, even hours after his shift had ended.  Thank you all for caring for our Papa Chuck over the years.  We would also like to thank our extended family and friends, near and far, for expressing your love for our Papa, a.k.a. “Uncle Chuck” and for keeping our Nana, Dee, in your hearts, thoughts and prayers during this time.