Michael John Stafford

He leaves a tremendous legacy of hard work, determination, great love, and wisdom that will pass on for generations to come.

Michael was a man who overcame many obstacles and hardships throughout his life, yet he handled every trial with profound humility. A lifelong intellectual, he possessed a passion for learning and growing. He completed his undergraduate studies at Emory & Henry College before pursuing graduate education at the College of William & Mary and George Washington University. Harnessing his entrepreneurial spirit, Michael went on to establish his own successful medical equipment business. He later took the reins of his family’s business, dedicating himself to real estate, development, and property management.

A man of many talents and interests, Michael found joy in a wide array of hobbies. As a licensed private pilot, he felt a profound sense of freedom whenever he was in the clouds and the open sky. Closer to earth, he poured his creativity and curiosity into model trains, fishing, boating, restoring cars, astronomy, photography, flying RC airplanes, driving RC cars, and operating ham radios. He truly had a brilliant, inquisitive mind and was knowledgeable on an endless variety of subjects.

Yet, of all his many interests and accomplishments, nothing brought Michael greater joy than being with his family and friends. He cherished the memories of trips taken with his wife to Hawaii and the Florida Keys, and also the precious memories that were built with family and friends on the mountain of Franklin, NC and on the coast of Virginia Beach, VA. He devoted himself to his family and was continually pouring out his love, wisdom, and knowledge to his wife, daughter, and granddaughters with whom he treasured every moment. The lessons he taught and the values he instilled will live on through them for generations. Michael will be dearly missed, but he will always be remembered as a monumental influence on those he cared about. He truly was his wife’s greatest love and his daughter’s greatest hero.

Michael is survived by his beautiful wife of 39 years, Jamie Stafford; his devoted daughter, Sandi Wininger; and his two cherished grandchildren, Madison and Hope Wininger. He was preceded in death by his first daughter, Laurel Stafford.