John Richard Stafford MD

Dr. John R. Stafford of Houston passed away on Thursday, June 4. He was born in Houston on October 29, 1934 to William Edward Stafford and Lettie Jean Stafford. John graduated from San Jacinto High School in 1952 and subsequently attended Rice University. After graduating from Rice in 1956, he attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston where he received his MD degree in 1960. He completed his internship the following year at Hermann Hospital where he received the “Outstanding Interne” award.

Following his internship, Dr. Stafford served in the United States Navy in various locations in Florida. He saw active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis, serving as the ship’s physician on the destroyer USS Bigelow. Following his time in the Navy, he returned to Texas and eventually settled in Austin where he completed a residency in Psychiatry at the Austin State Hospital in 1968. He enjoyed a successful practice in Psychiatry while in Austin and married Linda Freeman in 1970.

After moving to Houston in 1972, Dr. Stafford continued his psychiatry practice and served on staff at many prominent psychiatric hospitals in the metro Houston area. He published numerous articles in peer-reviewed psychiatric journals and contributed his energies to professional medical societies and mental health organizations. As an attending psychiatrist at the VA Medical Center, he treated many veterans suffering from combat-related psychological trauma.

An avid outdoorsman, he loved camping, nature photography, and fly fishing. He was an outspoken advocate for the environment and loved animals. Exceedingly well-read, he loved architecture, engineering, cars, cooking, and history. He was a wonderful father and husband, and was passionate about many things. Never content to just be good at something, when he found something he was excited about, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly. More than anything, he enjoyed sharing his mastery and seemingly boundless knowledge of the things that made him happy.

He was especially proud of and passionate about his family, whom he photographed extensively and exhaustingly. Dr. Stafford is survived by his wife, Linda Stafford, and children Rick Stafford (JoAnn Caradonna Stafford), Helene Stafford Suh (Dan Suh), Kenneth Stafford (Sara Duerr), and Kevin Stafford (Brandi Carlisle). He is also survived by his eight grand-children, his dog Spooky, and his cat Riggles.

A memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Saturday, the 27th of June 2015 at Rice Memorial Chapel (on the campus of Rice University), 6100 Main Street in Houston. Parking is available in the North Annex Lot, Central Campus Garage or the Greenbriar Lot.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests memorial contributions in Dr. Stafford’s name be directed to the Weimaraner Rescue of Texas, Inc., 4347 West Northwest Hwy, Ste. 130, Box 184, Dallas, TX, 75220; or the Sierra Club, 85 Second Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.