He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Alicia Bendaña-Brown Stapleton; his daughters, Lara, Sara and Annie; daughter-in-law, Tracey; his granddaughter, Isabel; his brother, Tom (Dawn); his in-laws in the Philippines, the US and abroad; dear friends, the Sotelos; and many, many nieces, nephews and their children. He was preceded in death by his son, James B., in 2019. They both preferred the name ‘Jim’ and were often referred to as ‘Jim Sr.’ and ‘Jim Jr.’
Dr. Jim Stapleton graduated from Eastern Michigan University (B.A., 1952) and Purdue University (M.S., 1954 and PhD., 1957 - both in Mathematical Statistics). He joined the Department of Statistics and Probability at Michigan State University in 1958. He found great joy in his work- both teaching and working with colleagues - having served happily as graduate director for 20 years. Jim went above and beyond to mentor his students in their chosen field as well as help them and their families settle into their lives at Michigan State University. He served as ‘American father’ at more than a few weddings, and with Alicia hosted large Thanksgiving dinners for Stats students for years. He was very proud of being called ‘Lao Shi’, which in Mandarin means ‘teacher’.
Upon his retirement, Jim continued to go to the office for years, thoroughly enjoying his Professor Emeritus status and lecturing when colleagues needed a sub. He received two awards for his work during this time – the Meritorious Faculty Award in 2009 and the ‘Globie’ from the Office of International Students and Scholars for outstanding service in 2010.
When not working in his retirement, Jim enjoyed road trips around the country, visiting former students and their families along the way. He was always an avid sports fan, especially dedicated to the Michigan State Spartans. He and Alicia held season tickets to both football and basketball games for many years. He was actively involved in his children’s speed swimming activities, having served as referee, stroke judge and board member of the State of Michigan Swim Committee.
Jim and Alicia have been blessed with the friendship, love and support of the Sue Watson family and the Angel Garcia family. They have become family and have our love and eternal gratitude for their support, especially in the last few years.
A memorial will take place on Saturday, August 27 at the Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home in East Lansing at 2pm. Please email Jim’s daughter Sara at staplets@msn.com for details.
In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made to one of the endowments that Jim and Alicia have established at Michigan State University. Memorial or tribute gifts can be made online at https://givingto.msu.edu/gift/?sid=14045.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.greastlansing.com for the Stapleton family.
A livestream of the service can be viewed at https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/77834
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