Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network Honors Stafford

Those who knew describe him as a man who always had time to lend an ear to those who had something to say and a hand to those who needed help.

Stafford—an integral member of the Washington County community as a former commissioner for 12 years and a county auditor and treasurer for decades—died Feb. 24 at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul during heart surgery. He was 81.

Among his many accomplishments, Stafford helped establish the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network, a grassroots citizen group that seeks to engage community members in support of military service members, their families and veterans. The group took time to honor Stafford at a March 10 meeting.

Darrin Ewing, the chair of the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network and a senior master sergeant in the Air National Guard, said Stafford will be sorely missed.

"I met Dick at the kickoff event for the Yellow Ribbon Network at School in 2009," Stafford said. "We were fast friends after that because he just dove into everything he set out to do."

Ewing added that the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network would not be what it is today if it weren't for Stafford's leadership to get the organization off the ground.

"Dick was one of the founders of Woodbury Yellow Ribbon in our community, and he was very passionate about it," he said. "He was dialed in—not only here in Woodbury, but throughout the county."

A Mentor to Many

Washington County Commissioner Lisa Weik, the board's liaison to the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network, said Stafford held the District 5 seat before her, and the knowledge he shared with her over the years was central to her becoming a well-rounded commissioner.

"I won the seat in November of 2008, and after that he became my mentor," she said.

Woodbury City Councilwoman Julie Ohs, the council's contact person to the Yellow Ribbon Network, lauded Stafford for his years of dedicated work for the county and the city of Woodbury after the YNR meeting. 

"He was the resource to everybody in every organization," she said. "I can't believe all the people who called him a mentor. I thought of him as a mentor."

Ewing said he felt like he knew Stafford—who lived in Woodbury for more than 40 years—before the two ever met.

"For years, I would go to the library—the —so I felt like I knew the man longer than I did," Ewing said.

Ewing noted he was also familiar with Stafford for years because of his work as county auditor, as are many older residents in the county.

"Occasionally, the county tax department still gets a check made out to Dick Stafford for property tax payments," he said with a laugh.

Mike Hughes, the vice chair of the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network and a retired first sergeant in the , said he only knew Stafford for two years, but during that time he came to befriend and respect Stafford for his dedication and adoration for Washington County, his friends, family and military members.

"He actually snatched me up and told me I was going to be a founding member of the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon and he told me what my job was going to be," Hughes said. "The guy was awesome." 

Humble Beginnings

Stafford came from modest beginnings on the East Side of St. Paul. His mother and father were in the military, and he and his brothers followed. His younger brother, a Marine, was killed in the Korean War, which is one reason Dick took special interest in the care of veterans and their families, Ewing said.

After his military service, Stafford worked for Foremost Dairies, then Pixy-Pak before it merged with Land O'Lakes. Stafford was Washington County auditor from 1975 to 1999.

After retirement, Stafford was elected to the Washington County Board, serving until 2006.

However, Stafford didn't stay away from county government for long—he was later summoned out of retirement to fill his former post, which was left vacant after Commissioner Greg Orth died in a fall less than a year after Stafford retired. Stafford filled the District 5 chair until 2008 when Weik was elected.

Stafford is survived by his children, Bruce and Pam, both of Woodbury, and his former wife, Elaine.

The purpose of the Woodbury Yellow Ribbon Network is to ensure that military members and their families will never be expected to face life's daily challenges without the support of their friends, neighbors, and the Woodbury community, according to the organization's website.