Carl Stahnke

Carl Jay Stahnke
1926 - 2013
Carl Stahnke, 87, passed away Friday, September 27, 2013 of natural causes at Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, California. Carl was born in 1926 to Carl Julius and Grace (Goodwin) Stahnke in Ocean View, Virginia. The second of 3 children, Carl graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1944. He married the love of his life, Kathryn Ann Snavely in 1945. During WW2, Carl served honorably in the United States Navy on the USS Grimes as a pilot of a LCVP (landing craft) in the Pacific, including Iwo Jima, the Philippine Islands, and was in theater as support to the USS Iowa during the surrender of Japan. Shortly after receiving an honorable discharge from the US Navy, Carl joined his wife's family business, Frank Snavely Plumbing, in San Pedro, California, where they lived and raised their 3 children. Carl was an active member of Grandview Methodist Church, where he loved singing in the choir. A social man, he enjoyed working the church's annual Labor Day Pancake Breakfast alongside his many good friends. He was active in the Peninsula YMCA for many years. Carl took over the family plumbing business until his retirement. Once retired, Carl and Kathryn traveled frequently. They enjoyed seeing new places and meeting new people. But most of all, they loved spending time with their family. As a real nature lover, Carl took his grandchildren to Rankin Ranch for many years for a few days of fishing, hiking, and horseback riding. Carl will be forever loved and remembered by his wife of 68 years Kathryn by his beloved sister Mary Ann (Stahnke) Hanover, his devoted children Wayne, Sandie (Stahnke) Jarrett, and Mark, his grandchildren Tim Jarrett, Kaitlyn (Stahnke) Barr, William Stahnke, and Mary Kathryn Stahnke, and his 2 great granddaughters: Addison Jarrett and Roxanne Barr. Carl touched the lives of so many people. If he saw that you needed a hand, he was always there with a smile. If you needed a cup of coffee on a cold, foggy morning, he would brew a pot and share a cup with you. The Stahnke Family invites friends and family to join them in a celebration of the life of Carl Jay Stahnke at Green Hills Memorial Park on Saturday, October 5, 2013 at the Pacific Terrace at 12:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to the San Pedro United Methodist Church. Please sign the guestbook at www.greenhillsmortuary.com.