In Memory of Richard H. Stallings, III
My dad died today. We were all there and got to say goodbye one last time. It didn't help though, the sorrow is a physical pain the likes of which I have never before experienced. I love him
so much. He was truly a wonderful, God-loving, father, grandpop, husband, man. The
world's loss, but I know that he is in heaven today and I will see him again one day
soon.
Richard Holliday
Stallings, III, of Mechanicsburg, passed away at the age of 64 on Wednesday,
December 12, 2012 at Holy Spirit Hospital. Born June 5, 1948 in Camden, NJ, he
was a son of the late Richard H. Stallings, Jr. and Marie Nanette (Mathews)
Stallings. Rich was in the U.S. Army Artillery as a commissioned officer, discharged honorably having just been approved for promotion to the rank of Major. He served in Germany during the Vietnam War, was a battery commander at Ft. Sill, OK where his first two daughters were born, served with NATO in Greece for a year, then served as an ROTC instructor at the University of Akron where he earned his MBA and his third daughter was born.
Following his years of military service, he became a manager with Roadway Trucking Company where he worked for 18 years. For the past eight years he has been a Plan Representative for Great-West Retirement Services explaining retirement benefits to state workers in the greater Harrisburg area.
Rich was a self-taught gourmet chef; studying under Julia Child, Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin, and other great chefs through books, magazines, and cooking shows. He loved to prepare creative meals for family and friends. His daughters called Dad with all their cooking questions.
Rich was a faithful servant at West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg, helping to lead a fellowship group on Sunday morning, a small-group Bible study on Sunday evening, and a men's small group that met in homes a couple times a month. He was a student of Scripture.
His greatest delight in life was his family. Surviving is his loving wife of 40 years, Susan Faye (Mitchell) Stallings and his daughters, Laurel Susan Eriksen and husband Lars of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Sharon Marie Vigoroso and husband Mark of Marietta, GA, and Kathryn Gail Marquiss and husband Jason of Mt. Holly Springs; his brother, Robert Stallings and wife Janis of Collingswood, NJ and his step-mother, Julia Stallings of Cocoa Beach, FL. He adored and loved spending time with his seven grandchildren, Luke and Leah Eriksen, Carmella, Leo, and Siena Vigoroso, and Daniel and Abigail Marquiss.
Interment with military honors will take place at 10:00 AM Friday, December 21, 2012 at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.
A memorial service will be held at 4:00 PM Friday, December 21, 2012 at West Shore Evangelical Free Church, 1345 Williams Grove Road, Mechanicsburg.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made for global relief by sending donations to West Shore Evangelical Free Church (WSEFC), 1345 Williams Grove Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.
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ReplyDeleteHi - I just read the note of your dad's passing. I'm Tony Errichetti, one of your father's boyhood friends from Lincoln Ave. in Collingswood, and I'm so sorry to hear the news. My family moved there in 1956 and we lived directly across the street from the Stallings, and Dick was one of my best friends. It was a great neighborhood for boys then, and friends included the Applegate boys - Jack, Paul (both deceased) and Walt - "Cookie" Amling, Eddie Barnescus and Teddy Ponto. We spent our summers swimming in Roberts Park, a nasty depression-era swimming pool, playing ball in the streets and riding bikes. We played a lot of games. And the family had a really nice dog his mother adored, Lindy.
ReplyDeleteDick and I went to the same grammar school, and bonded to some degree because we were the only Catholics in a very Protestant neighborhood and town. It meant we went to Church a lot as kids, and had the same religious holidays off. We also went to the same high school and college, where I recall he was in ROTC. He and I joined the Cadets, a drill team, where he was a lieutenant. It does not surprise me he was in the military. We lost contact after grammar school, in part because he was a year older. But friends grow apart.
His father, who I think played minor league baseball, would occasionally come out and hit balls, and they would fly out of sight - he was a great athlete, a bit remote emotionally (I think this made your father sad) but on the few times he played with us, he was very proud. We used to tease his younger brother Bobby a lot, and I feel bad about that now - boys can be cruel!
Last night when I could not sleep I Googled your father's name for some reason, to see what became of him. My father-in-law had just died, and a bunch of my old friends and my ex-wife so I was exploring the past. And then I came across your blog. Thank you for posting. I'm so happy he had a good life and a beautiful family.
Regards, Tony Errichetti
Tony, I am sorry I didn't see your message earlier. Thank you. It is wonderful to hear about Dad from a new perspective. We probably have pictures of you two together! I'll have to look through and see if his mom has you labeled in any of them. Thank you for taking the time to share amidst your own recent loss.
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