Henry "Joe" Grier Stanford Jr.

PINEVILLE – Joe Stanford lived a beautiful life devoted to all that he loved: God, church, family, the Shriners and the Sharon community where he was born and raised. He passed away Saturday, January 30, 2016, after a brief illness, thankful until the end for all of his blessings. Joe was 87.

Joe was born on June 7,1928, and grew up in the Sharon community back when it was country, long before the SouthPark area spread like wildfire around it. He graduated from Sharon High School and spent more than 40 years as general superintendent with John Thomasson Construction Co., building homes in such popular neighborhoods as Mountainbrook, Montibello, Stonehaven, Foxcroft and River Hills in South Carolina. He served his country as a member of the U.S. Army Military Police stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. He served his community as a charter member and chief of the Sharon Volunteer Fire Department, which he considered his proudest accomplishment. There was more to what Joe did for others: As a lifetime member of the Shriners Oasis Temple and a member of the Matthews Lodge, he received the Centennial Award from the Oasis Shriners Temple for making more than 100 trips, transporting children to and from the burn unit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joe and his family gave their hearts to Sharon Presbyterian Church, where Joe was known for cooking mouth-watering barbecue for all those Fall Festivals. Hardly a church softball game was played without Joe and Margaret watching from behind the backstop, in their lawn chairs. Joe was usually the one muttering when things weren’t going well for the home team.

Margaret Sullivan Stanford, his wife of 68 years, was the love of Joe’s life. They both grew up in the Sharon community and at Sharon Presbyterian. They were devoted to each other, and to their four sons and their families, including six grandchildren. If a Stanford was playing ball somewhere, Joe and Margaret were there, cheering them on.

Joe is survived by his wife, Margaret; four sons and their wives – Grier and Gemetta, Dan and Patti, Mike and Deana, and David and Sonya, all of Charlotte; six grandchildren – Danny, Brandon, Brittany, Brooke, Victoria and Rachael; three siblings – William Stanford and his wife, Isabelle; Jack Stanford; and Lula Ashley; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by sister Margaret Thomas and her husband, Dwight, and brother-in-law George Ashley.

A service to celebrate his life will be at 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, at Sharon Presbyterian Church, 5201 Sharon Road, with Rev. Ron Nelson officiating. Visitation follows at the church.

A memorial gift in his honor can be made to Sharon Presbyterian, 5201 Sharon Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28210 or Shriners Hospitals for Children, Office of Development, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Fla. 33607.

McEwen Funeral Service in Pineville is taking care of the family.

They don’t make them like Joe Stanford anymore. He was an avid gardener, a master carpenter who could make most anything from a piece of wood, and loved bluegrass so much that he and Margaret for years traveled to festivals across the Carolinas. Now he’s home.