John Stuart Brassfield

John Stuart Brassfield

December 23, 1946 - June 25, 2024

CORVALLIS, OR - John Stuart Brassfield, 77, of Corvallis, OR, chose to end his life through Death with Dignity on June 25, 2024.

John was born in Bakersfield, CA, on December 23, 1946 to Dan and Barbara Brassfield. Dan was a WWII veteran and telephone company installer, and Barbara was a homemaker and piano teacher. Shortly after John's birth the family moved to Corvallis, where John would spend the majority of his life. His brother Raymond was born 18 months later and the two were lifelong best friends. Sister Anne came along after four more years and although the brothers gave her a hard time growing up, woe betide anyone else who thought they could pick on her. John got up to many hijinks with his brother and their neighborhood friends, and was a great lover of pranks. His father was an avid fisherman and the brothers enjoyed many adventures on their dad's boat the Sea Lark until it sank without explanation one night while docked in Newport.

John graduated from CHS in the class of '65, enrolled at Oregon State University as a history major, then enlisted in the army. He was stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War and received an honorable discharge in 1972, despite being demoted for having once refused to clean the barracks kitchen. While in the army he travelled Europe, visiting Norway and later getting swept up in the Paris student riots of '68. He was touched by the kindness with which he was treated as an American GI in Europe. Asking one family that welcomed him into their home why they were so generous, he was deeply moved by their reply, "When we were hungry after the war, it was the Americans who fed us."

He married former classmate Mary Norton in 1969 and together they had two children; daughter Jody and son Jefferson. He partnered with a close friend as a painting contractor through the '70s before becoming a CPA in 1982 and starting a successful career as a tax accountant, providing trusted service and advice to many clients, family members and friends over the years. He loved outdoor activities and took his family on many camping and fishing trips throughout Oregon. For ten years he participated in the annual Joe Don Looney Picnic and Spiritual Revival campout with his buddies, and from 1985-1988 he was the Blue Ribbon Bonehead at the Benton County Fair (although he was disqualified from state competition for unsportsmanlike conduct). He spent almost 20 years going to Alaska annually to fish at the Sure-Strike Lodge, bringing along many lucky friends and family members and bringing home hundreds of pounds of delicious fish (which he became quite adept at cooking).

Once his children were out of high school, he spent ten years living in Bend, OR, partnering with a close friend in a small CPA practice, before marrying Penny Fulton, a high school literature teacher, in 2004 and returning to Corvallis. He continued his work as a CPA, travelled with Penny, hosted many fateful poker games and kept on fishing. John and Penny enjoyed a long, happy retirement together before the advancing disability from kidney disease and Parkinson's compromised his quality of life and independence enough that he decided he'd better git while the gittin' was good. He died in his home, with his loving family in attendance.

He will be remembered for his sense of humor, his ability to tell a story, his generosity with family and friends, and his love of pie.

He is survived by his wife Penny, his daughter Jody, his son Jefferson, his brother Raymond and sister-in-law Beverly, his sister Anne and brother-in-law Larry, his nieces Kristi, Erin and Molly, and his beloved kitties Cleo and Marnie.