Charles Mosher Curll “Stan” Staniforth
Charles Mosher Curll “Stan” Staniforth, 85, February 2, 1929 to September 6, 2014; born in Arundel, Quebec, CANADA; died in Issaquah, WA.
Stan attended high school in Lachute, QC, studied forestry at the Univ. of New Brunswick, and completed a rigorous marketing program at Wayne State Univ., Detroit. He was employed by British Overseas Airways Corp. as a flight dispatcher in Montreal, was responsible for calculating flight paths, calculating wind, storms, fuel, weight, balance, and safety. He married British stewardess Joan Remfry, and they migrated to the U.S. where Stan was with Alitalia Airline as Sales Manager for the Bay Area, then later moved to Seattle where he opened the Mercer Island Travel Agency and built a home on the Island. He was divorced in the 1980s.
Stan became a hiking/scrambling leader with Seattle Mountaineers and Sierra Club helping many folks to reach goals and attain self-confidence. He was an avid downhill skier and had been on ski patrol in QC. He worked for the Am. Red Cross, creating and marketing multiple specialized CPR courses and was called a “marketing guru”. He was involved with “damage assessment” supervising the determination of property losses for 49 national disasters (floods, tornados, hurricanes, fires, plane crashes) and served at the DOC (Disaster Operation Center) in Wash. D.C., where disasters are first reported.
In retirement, Stan volunteered at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery as docent, spawner, etc. He was also involved with his church, SKAL (travel industry professionals), Rotary, WA State census transcription, his genealogy, coin/stamp collections, and built a model train layout. He was a gifted writer, poet, editor, had a keen appreciation for history and geology, possessed a quick wit and humor, and loved being with his granddaughters.
He is survived by daughter, Kristy Staniforth McCann (Dean), of Graham WA, and a sister, Barbara Morrison (Rathwell), of Arundel, QC. He also leaves behind his partner of 28 years, Beverly Vernon, with children Gwendolyn (Bob), Pamela (Loren), Keith (Erin), and granddaughters Sydney and Sophie.
A memorial celebration will be held Thurs., Sept. 25, 2 pm, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Bellevue, WA, reception to follow. Appropriate donations in Stan’s memory include the Mennonite Disaster Service, St. Margaret’s Church, or a favorite charity. A bronze plaque will be placed near a “Memorial Tree” he planted at the Hatchery. His ashes will be laid to rest in the Staniforth cemetery in QC and also at Ingalls Lake/Mtn. in the Cascades.
