Final Salute

Richard Arthur Stapleton Obituary

Richard Arthur Stapleton was born on July 30,1923 in Donald, WI to Arthur and Marion (Miller) Stapleton. He had five siblings: Charlie, Virginia, Garnet, Carol and Cecil (aka Ginger).

He died on March 3, 2020 due to pneumonia and kidney failure. His wife of 71 years, Marian Rose (Benson) Stapleton preceded him in death on August 7, 2019.

Their family includes: their son, Russell Arthur (deceased) (Lynn), and their children; Nathaniel (Adriel), Katie (Steven Martens) and Christopher (Ashley), their daughter, Mary Louise (John D. Wenger Jr.) and their children: John D. III (Donna), Summer, Judah (Kyndra) and Timothy, their son, Michael Jay (Tresa) and their children: Olivia, Michaela (Christian Gonzolez), Hannah (Peter Thompson) and James (Lacey), their son, Kenneth Lynn (Cindy) and their children: Karin (Matt Smith), Erik (Rachel) and Jennifer (Luke Urbach), their son, Richard Edward (Marcy) and their children: Naomi (Gabriel Long), David, Luke, Joel and Anna, and their daughter Ruth Ellen (Kevin Pound) and their children: Lydia, Rachel, Rebekah and Stephen.
He is also survived by 21 great-grandchildren: Saffron, Jiah, Isaac, Silas, Kinsey, Jacob, Johnny, Russell, Walter, Kai, Javen, Logan, Alaina, Ava, Amelia, Adele, Noura, Esker, Eleanor, Chloe and Leah.

In 1927, at the age of four Richard, also known as Dick, moved with his family to Ladysmith, WI. There he grew up enjoying hunting and fishing. He also was musical and began to develop as a trumpet player, playing in the high school band as a solo trumpeter.

One incident which occurred during his childhood concerned a railroad trestle a quarter of a mile long near his home. He and a group of his friends were shooting firecrackers off between the ties one day, when the trestle caught fire. Fortunately the fire department put it out and no one ever found out who was responsible.

He graduated from high school in 1941. After graduation he went to sheet metal trade school in Rhinelander, WI. In December, WWII broke out, and in 1942, he moved to Bremerton, WA to work in the shipyards, where he helped repair damaged ships and construct new ones.

In 1943, Richard enlisted in the U.S. Navy. As a member of the Naval Construction Battalions (SeaBees) he was stationed in Virginia and Maine. After taking a year of naval officer’s training at Williams College in Williamstown, MA, he was stationed in Boston and Rhode Island. He shipped out from Norfolk, VA to go overseas. His voyage took him to Guam via Puerto Rico, the Panama Canal, and the Hawaiian Islands. He was based on Guam for seven months before coming back to the U.S. through San Francisco in 1946 and being discharged at Bremerton.

From the spring of 1948 until the autumn of 1949 he went to the University of Wisconsin. On June 20, 1948, he was married to Marian Rose Benson.

After his term at the U. of W., he transferred to the University of Minnesota. He stayed there for two years and received his Bachelor of Science degree in forestry.

Upon finishing school, he went to work for the state of Minnesota and in the process ended up in Littlefork, MN. He worked on the crew of the Koochiching County Lands and Forestry department and, in 1969, he became Koochiching County Land Commissioner.

Richard was an active member of the Littlefork Baptist Church and personal faith in Jesus Christ was the central part of his life. He taught Sunday School, was a leader at Awana boys club, a member of the Gideons, led the church choir and was on the church board of directors. His family knew him as a steady, peace loving, gentle influence. His faith was as authentic at home as it was in public.

In his retirement years, he and Marian traveled to many places visiting their children and grandchildren. For the last eight years of his life, he suffered the effects of a stroke being confined to a wheelchair in the Littlefork nursing home. His wit, laughter and stories will be greatly missed by family and friends.

Funeral Services will be conducted at Littlefork Baptist Church on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service time.

Interment will be at Oakley Cemetery, Littlefork.

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