John Paul Stamper's Obituary
John Paul Stamper
John Paul Stamper, 91, of Puyallup passed away peacefully July 11, 2016. Born May 15, 1925 in Pryor, OK, John was a retired Captain in the USAF having distinguished service in WWII, Korea, Viet Nam and the Cuban Missile Crisis. John is survived by his wife of 70 years, Dorothy Stamper. He is also survived by his daughters Dorothy Hudson of Vashon WA, Sherrie Conway of Auburn WA and son John Philip Stamper of Tacoma WA, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his sister Katy and brother Howard , both of Pryor, OK. He earned his Masters degree in Education counseling from St. Martin’s University. John joined the Army Air Corp at 17 and had over 15,000 documented flight hours as a pilot and flight engineer across a nearly 31 year career in the US Air Force. He started with a Stearman PT-17 wooden bi-plane and ended his career in a jet engine Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. John earned many citations during his service including the Air Medal. This was earned being part of the air unit that flew more missions in a war conflict zone than any other previously in US Air Force history at the time. This was done in the Southeast Asia theater during Viet Nam war years. John was one of the founding members and a past president of the McChord AFB Air Museum. He was a prime member in getting a Douglas C-124 Globemaster donated to the Air Museum. This plane affectionately called “Big Shakey” was John’s favorite aircraft since it had to be “flown personally” by the aircrew and not by computers. John met the love of his life Dorothy on a cable car in Denver CO and at the end of WWII they were married. They exited the church through the pageantry of a swords crossed tunnel formed by officers of his squadron. Although they traveled the country during his service they spent most of their 70 years together near McChord Air Force base. John was raised on a farm and learned early that if something broke, you had to fix it yourself. John could fix anything from a television set to an automatic transmission and could identify certain airplanes just by the sound of their engines. His generosity and knowledge fixed more of “other’s” cars than his, many being my friends from high school. A celebration of life service will be held at Mountain View Funeral Home in the Garden Chapel in Lakewood, Saturday July 16, 2016 at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers donations can be sent to McChord Air Museum in John’s name. Remembrances may be shared at www.mountainviewtacoma.com
What’s your fondest memory of John?
What’s a lesson you learned from John?
Share a story where John's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with John you’ll never forget.
How did John make you smile?
