Joseph M. Stafford

Joseph Stafford, 94, died peacefully in New York City on December 19, 2022. Devoted son of Matilda “Tilly” (nee Weinstein) and Paul Theiler, Joe was born in Bucharest in 1928. After losing his father, Paul, in 1931, his stepfather Iosef (Ioşca) Stern formally adopted him in 1935. Forced to flee Romania in late 1940 as the notorious Iron Guard began a series of brutal pogroms, the family settled in Maple Springs, New York. Joe adapted quickly and enjoyed an active outdoor life of hiking, skiing, sailing, fishing, and hunting.

After attending Choate Rosemary Hall and graduating from Yale University in 1950, Joe enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served at the Intelligence Wing in Frankfurt, Germany, where he met his first wife, Anita (nee Brielke), who predeceased him in 1987. Upon his discharge from the military, he began a career on Wall Street, eventually retiring as Managing Partner of Adler, Stafford, and Co. with a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Always an enthusiastic traveler, Joe’s adventures routinely took him to India, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. He was an avid sailor and rower and qualified to join a rowing crew on the famous Greek trireme, Olympias.

Joe enjoyed a passion for nature and gardening at his country house in Bethlehem, Connecticut, where he grew many varieties of flowers and tended a small orchard of fruit trees. It is also where friends and family gathered to be treated to wonderful lunches and dinners supplemented with fine vintage wines from his cellar and entertained by his dachshunds. He became a long-time friend and patron of the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, CT. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Barbara Roder-Stafford, five first cousins, and at least fifteen second cousins.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Choate Rosemary Hall and Yale University are appreciated.