Willard Staples Jr.

STAPLES, Willard Irving Jr., of Tampa, died June 9, 2005. A native of California and the son of educator and Navy Capt. (aviator) Willard I and Helen Witter Staples. He was predeceased by his first wife, Elsie Andrews Staples. He is survived by wife, Elsie Rock (Hacker) Staples; daughter, Jane Daugherty of Kennewick, Wash., and son, Will III and Astrid of Dade City; six grandchildren and their spouses, Kelli and Corey Burns of Jamestown, N.C., Michele and David Merrill of Stuart, Will IV and Jennifer of Tampa, William and Gerene Daugherty of Gresham, Ore., Kathleen and David Robertson of Pendleton, Ore., and Colleen and David Cowiesen of Montrose, Scotland; and seven great-grandchildren. Mr Staples graduated from Pomona College and Southwestern University Law School. He was a special agent for the FBI and thereafter was the security manager of the engineering staff for Ford Motor Co. in Detroit. He was assistant secretary of the State of Michigan for two years. He had an investigative busine ss in Tampa and conducted all field investigations for the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, performing investigations for two governors, the legislature and various industrial firms. He was last employed as special services manager for the Westinghouse Electrical Division in Tampa. He was a longtime member and elder at First Presbyterian Church of Tampa and at had been attending Temple Terrace Community Church. He was a member of Zion #1 F&AM of Detroit, a past member of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, past deputy governor general of the Florida Mayflower Society, past state president of the Florida Huguenot Society and past president of the Tampa Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Sunday at Temple Terrace Community Church. Private interment will follow.