Elmer "JR" Russell Stalnaker

Elmer “JR” Russell Stalnaker, Jr. passed away peacefully on Monday, January 15, 2024, at Porter Hospice in Littleton, Colorado. He was born January 1, 1940, in Gandeeville, West Virginia, to Elmer Russell Stalnaker and Laura Raines Stalnaker.

JR grew up in Lowell, Ohio and graduated from Fort Frye High School, where he excelled at sports including basketball and football. He even went by the nickname “Mr. Football”. He attended Marietta College in Ohio and ultimately received his Bachelor of Science degree from New York State University.

After knowing each other most of their early lives, JR married Scottia Lynn Koch on June 17, 1962 in Lowell, Ohio. He was a loving husband and they enjoyed 61 years of marriage.

JR joined the US Air Force in 1961 and worked on radar systems and they were stationed in Port Austin, MI. After serving in the Air Force, JR worked for Honeywell as a computer engineer in Illinois. In 1980, they moved to Colorado and he began working with Digital Corporation. Over the next 20 years, JR worked for several other software/computer companies in Colorado and Florida, finally working for Lockheed Martin in Colorado Springs until he retired.

JR was a great Dad and loved being a Grandpa. JR and Scotti were very actively involved and spent as much time as they could with Heidi and the boys. This included watching Gabe and Alex play their sports (soccer and baseball) and joining them for trips, special occasions and holidays both in California and Colorado. JR even played the role of Santa Claus for Gabe’s very first Christmas.

JR was a jovial, very helpful and handy man, who did everything from fix cars to helping Heidi and Doug renovate their first house. JR enjoyed not only playing golf with his family and closest friends, he also made his own clubs and loved learning all the latest ways to improve his game.

JR was also an avid hunter, hunting deer and elk with his nephew and best friends yearly for many years near Gunnison, Colorado.

JR and Scotti enjoyed traveling together, including several trips to Arizona, California and Hawaii and even the Black Forest in Germany. During his retirement, JR enjoyed spending winters in Florida and visiting with his sisters and their husbands.

JR was a member of Academy Christian Church in Colorado Springs for over 40 years, where he served as a Deacon and enjoyed running the sound board for the church services until his health intervened.

JR was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and three sisters. He is survived by his wife, Scottia, daughter and son-in-law, Heidi and Doug Griffin, and two grandsons, Gabe and Alex, his sister, Jan Augenstein, and many nieces and nephews.

JR’s family will be holding a Celebration of Life Service/Ceremony at Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 21, 2024 at 1p MT.

Our family thanks all the friends for their love and kindness extended during JR’s illness. The family is extremely grateful to the people at Porter Hospice, who cared for JR with kindness, compassion, and professionalism.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in JR’s name to the following charities: Samaritan's Purse & Tunnel to Towers Foundation