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Ken at Garden of the Gods ( Colorado)
November 27, 2012
Ken in California
November 27, 2012
MICHAEL STALLINGS
November 20, 2012
I think we have all been shell shocked by the sudden passing of our Loved one, Kenneth Gordon Stallings. For me I knew him best as my Dad! Finding the words to say, has been very difficult because I just didn't expect it to end this way! I wish there was more time to discuss life, family, and for you, dad, to have seen me on top, after achieving the goals I am so passionately trying to achieve. For I am a scientist and for that I give you the ultimate credit for that upbringing.
You always served as a life coach and a check and balance to the ups and downs one experiences in life. I am grateful for the stability and knowledge you passed on throughout your life even if at times I was hard headed and often didn't appear to listen. As we age we have a way of gaining clarity on the wisdom of actions in upbringing. You were a coach for many for a brief period, but I was fortunate to have gained a lifetime of insight from your guidance.
Probably the most notable thing you taught us all was how to take care of ourselves, physically. Your vast knowledge of human health and physiology has made an everlasting impression on our memories forever. I must say this is where my science began, understanding human health from you my dad. It kept me out of trouble and developed into a love of sports and the great outdoors. Central to everything our health mattered most and you were always serving our family as our personal coach. Your wisdom helped guide decisions on right and wrong not just towards others, but towards the decisions one makes in governing how we live our lives. I appreciate that you were there and kept me in line throughout my years. Today I am a better person because of you, Dad! I can safely say we are all at a loss from losing the wealth of knowledge he contained in many fields but in particular in biology. That knowledge, however, dad was not all lost for your guidance helped me understand quantum biology and interdisciplinary biomedical applications for which the quantum tool box doesn't even exist for as of yet.
I learned about the weather from you, dad. I used to sit outside and stare up at the sky. You taught me about cold air masses and clouds. It was always fun to call home, when I was older, and discuss the weather with my dad. It was a predicting contest to see who was right on which way a storm was heading. I am grateful for all the times I spent chasing hurricanes and stopping in on the way over to catch the swell, to raid the refrigerator and to catch up on what was going on in life. My love of weather was inspired by you.
I learned about the stars, night watching, meteors and comets from you. You were my first science teacher. I developed my love for all things science, including my love of science fiction. That is right, I am a treky, just like my father before me. :) He was the original treky. Growing up we had some of the first personal computers in fact long ago he urged me to become a programmer. However, when I was young I could not understand how anyone would want to spend their life staring at a screen. One day soon dad, I will be way beyond the Basic of yesterday and HTML as I see through the matrix of patterns. I credit my sense of Logic from you, dad.
I would suppose that I am an expert swimmer, seeing as how I have weathered the biggest of seas. I credit that from being taught how to swim by my dad. He made sure we learned to swim in Bob Joys pool. Bob was the sole survivor on a ship lost in combat during WWII. Bob was a deck gunner and he was the only one who had time to get out before the ship went down. Bob survived at sea floating for days before being plucked from the sea. Thanks Dad! Symbolic! Charlotte, my daughter, really got a chance to enjoy the pool with dad too. It was like a right of passage to go swimming when the weather allowed when we came over the house. We all knew how important swimming was to dad and that we all brought our kids to follow in that from him. He had even saved two peoples lives from drowning. Just think of the lasting impression on their families. His life mattered!
When we watched T.V. growing up we typically watched educational T.V. or were kicked outside to go play. We had to go play and appreciate the outdoors. Funny how kids today are. I do try to get my daughter outside as much as possible and to learn sports. I will certainly pass that on! I still watch education shows vs. dumb reality T.V. that seems to keep the populace uneducated. Dad also LOVED politics and SO DO I! We didn't always see eye to eye on things but he eventually came around. We loved to discuss the issues of the day and complain about the direction the country was taking. He was a patriot and loved this country dearly! Growing up he taught us about Williamsburg and Yorktown, we went to Washington. He made sure we learned the important things!
He loved the water, fishing, and water skiing. That love carries on in our family. My mother and father found their paradise in Central Florida. I am so happy they found a place that made them happy for so many years! In fact my whole family has a love affair with Florida. We have all lived here at one time or another.
For the last couple of weeks, since the funeral I was at a loss for words. I had to really concentrate to come up with some uplifting words of encouragement to say to add here. I didn't say anything at the funeral in public, mainly because I was shell shocked! I appreciate those who spoke up at the funeral and those who could attend, Thank You! Everyone said very nice things and it was obvious he had left a positive impression on many people. Which brings me to how I was able to pull my thoughts together and begin to formulate words to say...
Dad taught the power of positive thinking. I gained a great deal out of his coaching and self help or motivational books. I have quite an extensive collect of entrepreneurial and business professional books, which I credit to him. He always believed that if you set your mind to anything YOU CAN DO IT! I knew that I needed to talk to everyone and talk about his positive thinking books. That inspired me to start to talk about his life and his impression on me. He was a great dad! As I started writing I found that I really did have much to talk about, more so than the time to sit here and make an attempt at conveying the stories. I think this exercise of writing in this guest book helped me move forward in the positive. I have much to be proud of! I would also like to Thank my mom and family for being strong and a special thanks for all our friends, you helped make each day easier to get through in our loss!
My dad lived a long and at times challenging life. He always persevered! One of the last things he was studying was cellular regeneration. He was trying to learn how to live forever! One day Dad we may become amebas, but for now we are all destined to follow the cycle of life. I will pick up where you left off in your research and make scientific progress toward conquering our internal gravitational space time dilemma! Live long and Prosper!
May the Force Be With You, Always! Love Always your son, Michael Kent Stallings :)
Rae Fisher
November 9, 2012
Take comfort in knowing that now you have a special guardian angel to watch over you.
November 5, 2012
I love and will forever miss my dad. He was a wonderful man with a great sense of humor and someone I confided in about everything. It is hard to believe he is no longer with us. I am glad I have a lifetime of memories to continue to cherish. I would also like to say a special thank you to all of my fathers bridge friends. He spoke of you all often and considered you all real friends that brought him great joy in his life.
November 2, 2012
Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you and your loved one today and always.
American Heart Association
November 2, 2012
May your memories of the wonderful times you shared with your loved one comfort you and your family, today and always.
Ron Fiore
November 1, 2012
With deepest sympathy. Ken will be sorely missed at Bridge gatherings and as a real friend.
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