Gordon A. Stoa

Gordon Adolph Stoa, age 93, Kansas City, KS, passed away at the Kansas City VA Medical Center on Monday, July 1, 2024.

Gordon was born August 20, 1930, in Hatton, ND, the son of Adolph and Esther (Rosholt) Stoa.

He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, completed high school in Hatton, and served in the US Navy aboard the USS Corry. Gordon spent his career in the grain business with Peavey Grain, the North Dakota Mill and Elevator in Grand Forks, ND; ADM Grain in Minneapolis, MN; ADM Milling in Shawnee Mission, KS; and as an executive recruiter.

Gordon married Donna Germayne Johnson on October 30, 1951, in Crookston, MN. They made their home at Hatton, ND; Hillsboro, ND; and rural East Grand Forks, MN, until moving to Grand Forks in 1957. They had two sons, Terry and Jeffrey, and divorced in 1960.

On June 22, 1963, he married Jacqueline (Jackie) Joanne Giffin in Minneapolis, MN. They had one daughter, Stephanie, and lived in Grand Forks, ND; Minneapolis, MN; Shawnee, KS; and Phoenix, AZ. After Jackie's death in 2013, Gordon remained in Phoenix before moving to Denver, CO, and Kansas City, KS.

Gordon had a passion for horses and foxhunting. He was instrumental in the leadership of the Mission Valley Pony Club ("MVPC"), the United States Pony Club ("USPC"), and the Mission Valley Hunt Club.

The first triennial USPC Festival was held in 1983 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, to showcase opportunities for instruction, activities, and competition. Members of MVPC participated in this historic event. In 1989, Gordon served as co-chair of the Festival.

On April 13, 1985, Gordon was the first to bring Grand Prix Show Jumping to the greater Kansas City area. Proceeds from the shows provided financial support for MVPC equine education programs.

Between 1985 and 1987, and again between 1989 and 1991, he served on the USPC Board of Governors, one of only thirty elected Governors throughout the country. Additionally, he served as Chairman of the American Royal Hunter Jumper Show for multiple years.

Gordon is survived by three children: Terry A. (Heather) Stoa, Decatur, IL; Jeffrey G. (Marcella) Stoa, Grand Forks, ND; Stephanie D. (Andrew Knutson) Stoa, Stilwell, KS; four grandchildren: Brandon (Lisa) Stoa, Grand Forks, ND; Kristin (Stoa) Bainbridge, Pleasant Hill, IA; Ryan (Holly) Stoa, Dallas, PA; Kassidy (Stoa) Robles, East Grand Forks, MN; eleven great-grandchildren; and brothers and sisters: Marilyn (John) Stoa Harms, Janice Holter Grotte, David (Dawn) Holter, Neal Holter, Paul Richard Holter, Carl (Diane) Holter, and Michael (Cyndy) Holter.

Preceding him in death are his parents, stepfather Jerome A. Holter, and wife Jackie.

Graveside services will be held on Friday, July 26, 2024, at 11:00 am at St. John's Cemetery in Hatton, ND.