Jerry Elliott Stafford

Jerry E. Stafford CHESAPEAKE - Jerry Elliott Stafford, 65, passed away peacefully in his residence Sept. 1, 2008. Jerry was born in Hopewell, Va., on March 7, 1943. He moved to Norfolk as an infant. He attended Norview High School, "Lost class of 1958," when the school closed due to the segregation law that was passed. His parents moved to Bellhaven, N.C., where he attended high school and dropped out to join the Air Force in 1960. He spent four years in the Air Force and upon returning to Norfolk he attended barber school which he did for a couple of years. He then signed on as a tugboat cook, then to deck hand and first mate. His travels took him from Norfolk to the coast of Maine for a 2 to 3-year period. He worked at NORSHIPCO and then moved to Palm Beach, Fla., and made a living at painting yachts and working at the shipyard as a painter. When he returned to Norfolk in the early 80s, he went to work at NARF as a sign painter. Leaving NARF, he went to work for Colonna Shipyard in their paint department. He retired from Colonna's in 2005. He is survived by his loving wife of 26 years, Jo Ann Stafford; his parents, Jane and Bill Foreman of Norfolk; sister, Deborah Vick and her husband Mark of Chesapeake; brother, Bill Foreman Jr. and his wife Kathy of Virginia Beach; four nephews, Josh, Bret and Shaun Foreman and Austin Vick; stepdaughter, Suzanne Rush and her husband Frank of Emerald Isle, N.C.; stepson, David Hill and wife Dana of Jonesboro, Ark.; five grandsons, Jacob and Matthew Rush, Colby, Brock and Bailey Hill; mother-in-law, Virginia M. Spotts of Shalimar, Fla.; sister-in-law, Pam Dean and her husband Bill of Lansing Mich.; and many friends. Jerry was a member of the Virginia Beach Shag Club since 1990, where he learned to shag and loved to dance and party and meet so many new friends. He loved being on the water where he and his wife spent most of their time between that and the Shag Club. Jerry was very artistic, and he said there was a definite difference between sign painting and art. "It might all come under the same job description, but a definite difference is there." Jerry spent his last three months under Hospice Care and the family would like to thank the care givers of Heartland Hospice and the love and concern of all his family and friends. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund, 150 Burnett's Way, Suffolk, VA 23434 or the American Cancer Society. Burial will be arranged by the Cremation Society of Virginia. A celebration of Jerry's life will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, in the Rosewood-Kellum Funeral Home, 601 N. Witchduck Road, Virginia Beach with family and friends gathering after the memorial service at Rosewood-Kellum Funeral Home.