Joel "Lindsey" Stafford

Funeral service for Joel "Lindsey" Stafford, 72 of Lawton will be at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 6, 2018 at Cameron Baptist Church with Rev. Mike Teel, pastor of Cameron Baptist Church officiating. 

Burial will be at Highland Cemetery under the direction of Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home.

There will be a special viewing and visitation from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at the funeral home. 

Mr. Stafford went to be with his family and His Lord in Heaven on September 3, 2018 in Wichita Falls, Texas. 

Lindsey was born on May 28, 1946 in Lawton, Oklahoma to J.C. and Lela (Williams) Stafford. He grew up in Lawton where he attended school, graduating from Lawton High School in 1964. Upon completing his BA degree from Cameron State College, he began his teaching career. Teaching at several schools including Macarthur Junior High, Macarthur Senior High, and Eisenhower Junior High. He was an Adjunct professor at Cameron State College. He went on to earn a MA in Theater at Arizona State University. In 1987 he earned his MA in Speech Pathology at Central State. At that time he became a speech/language therapist with Lawton Public Schools. Lindsey retired with 35 years of dedicated service to the Lawton Public School system. During his career, he was a member of many associations including ACT, NEA/OEA/PEAL. He was selected as Lawton Teacher of the Year in 1976 and received the OEA Teachers Teaching Teachers Award in 1986. He was also a member of the Oklahoma Retired Educators Association. Lindsey has served on several boards within the community including, Greiner's School, Noon Optimist Club, Toastmasters, and Lawton Community Theater. He also has volunteered countless hours at Southwestern Medical Center, Comanche County Memorial Hospital and the Lawton Retired Senior Volunteer Program. Since his retirement he has passionately supported Goodwill Industries of Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas, serving on the board for the past 12 years. He was a member of Cameron Baptist Church.

In 1975, he was blessed with his daughter, Patti Lynn. He married, his angel, Patricia "Pat" Carman on November 28, 1982 in Las Vegas, NV.

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Pat Stafford, of the home; his daughter, Patti Lynn Sallo and her spouse, Nathan, of Boca Raton, FL; grandchildren, Rylan, Simmone, Alyssa, and Katelyn; his sister in law, Bonnie Jensen; nieces and nephew and their spouses, Sheri and Gary Leroux, Jennifer and Joe Sumpter, Cheryl and Rob Kaiser, and Kevin and Erin Jensen; great nieces and great nephews, Shane Sumpter, Ian Leroux, Peyton Jensen, Avery Jensen, and Holland Jensen; and his cousins, Kim Loehr and Steve Chambers.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister and brother in law, Sharon and Russell Walker; two aunts, Lt. Col Helen Stafford and Merle Chambers and uncle, Bob Stafford and his brother in law, Ray Jensen. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Goodwill Industries of Southwest Oklahoma and North Texas at 1210 Summit Ave, Lawton, Oklahoma 73502.   

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