George Robert Stackfleth's Obituary
Gainesville—George Robert Stackfleth passed away on October 8, 2024. He was born on May 20, 1939, in Queens, New York to Erich and Alma Stackfleth, immigrants from Germany. He loved growing up in Queens Village, running track, visiting Jones Beach, and bicycling to nearby Aqueduct Racetrack. George attended Columbia University as an undergraduate and earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.
George joined the Navy after graduation, serving as a cryptographer during the height of the Cold War, including working through the Cuban Missile Crisis. His interest in logic and numbers led him, following his Navy service, to a long first career in the computer services field. In 1989, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and began a second career as a much-loved Manager in the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office. A lifelong student of history, philosophy, theology, and politics, George was a voracious reader, equally at home reading Sartre or handed-down YA novels from his granddaughters. He wrote, for himself and his family, in similarly eclectic fashion, producing everything from poetry and children’s stories to political commentary and dystopian novels. George was a passionate follower of most sports. A long-suffering New York Jets fan, he embraced the Florida Gators when he moved to Gainesville, Florida in 2021.
George embraced being a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He took comfort and pride in the smallest of joys, from attending cultural events together or watching great-grandkids on the phone. He is predeceased by his parents and brother William, and by his wife of sixty-one years, Barbara Ann Kilgallon Stackfleth. He is survived by children John Stackfleth, Tara (Howard) Stackfleth Chilton, Elizabeth Stackfleth, Jennifer (Joseph) Spillane, and Erica Stackfleth. In addition, he is survived by five grandchildren, Alyxandra (Joe), John (Jesse), Emma, Maggie, and Lily, and five great-grandchildren, twins Kal and Ezibelle, Allie Mae, Daniel, and Johnny. He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Elizabeth Howard, and nephew Christian (Traci) Howard, and grandnephews Hunter and Brophy.
Services will be held Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home Westarea, 823 NW 143rd Street, Newberry. The family will receive friends at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Forest Meadows Cemetery-Central, in Gainesville, Florida.
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