Charles Stanforth

Charles Marion Stanforth, age 97, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 11, 2022. He was born September 9, 1924, in Clinton County, Ohio. His parents were Harvey Glenn Stanforth and Luella Ruth Smart Stanforth. He is survived by his beautiful wife Nell Pinnix Stanforth, his children Kevin (Liz) Stanforth, Kristen (Steve) Reeves, Kraig (Karin) Stanforth, Kyle (Lynne) Stanforth, and David (Pam) Pinnix; his grandchildren Rachel, Hannah, Danielle, Jared, Nate, Kaylee, Maddie, Travis, Chanelle, Devon, Peyton, Amanda, Derek, and Melanie along with 16 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wives, Charlene Brewer, and Joan Gleason. He was a part of the Greatest Generation, having served his country during WWII. After the war, he graduated from Miami University in Oxford Ohio, in three years, with three majors. He was offered a job at General Electric in Cincinnati, where he became proficient in jet propulsion. His problem-solving skills led him to invent parts for General Electric and he was acknowledged by his engineering peers. He was also able to receive patents on many of his inventions. Because of the scope of his knowledge, he worked with classified information during the Cold War. He spent time with other engineers while working on the Stealth Bomber and also worked with NASA on various assignments. He worked tirelessly while at General Electric to perfect his tests on the jet engines. Many times he would be called at a moment’s notice to Peebles Ohio. This was the proving ground for weather-related and measurement testing for his jet engines. His degrees in Physics, Chemistry and Math helped him become one of GE’s top engineers. After 40 plus years, he retired, which was not an easy decision for him to make. He continued to be active as a consultant and enjoyed mentoring other engineers. Charles, was also known as Chuck or Charlie to his friends and family, but we called him Dad. He coached his sons in Cincinnati Knothole Baseball. He not only coached but was also the Supervisor over the league and Commissioner of District 2. Most Saturdays were spent at Crawford field in College Hill. If he wasn’t coaching his sons, he would be watching the games and making sure the kids were having fun. His love for baseball also became the catalyst for inventing Tee Ball. We remember him creating a baseball tee in our garage It was a metal stand with a large rubber tee, and when the ball was placed on top, the younger players could hit the ball with ease. When Dad attended these Tee Ball games, he laughed with joy that the children were having so much fun. He often said watching them was better than any show on TV. Dad also loved his Cincinnati Reds. If he wasn’t watching the games, he would be listening on the radio. He loved listening to Waite Hoyt tell stories about baseball games and players. He kept the Reds playbooks from years past, and he always kept score whenever he went to a game. His son Kevin, was able to take Dad to a couple of games this year and, at 97, he still kept score. After retirement, Dad taught science at an elementary school in Cincinnati. The kids called him “ Mr. Science .” He made Science fun and helped them decide on what projects they could do for their Science projects. Dad had a way of finding out if the parents were overly involved with their children’s final science projects or if the students did the work. He would ask one simple question, “ What problems did you have when doing your project?” If the child said “none” then Dad knew the parents helped. Our Dad’s faith was the foundation of who he was. His faith was instilled in him at an early age and he never wavered from it. He served as a Deacon, Elder and Teacher for nearly 50 years at Lockland Christian Church. He also served on the Board of the Southeast India Christian Mission for many years. Dad mirrored what a Christian husband and father should be. He was kind and generous with his time, money and love. His prayers were heartfelt and genuine and his Communion meditations were written with humility. Dad treated all people with respect and he felt all people had a story to tell. He could converse with a farmer as well as an engineer and his stories always ended with a laugh or a smilie. When one of his grandsons asked him, “Grandpa, how do you get to know all these people?” he simply said, “ I already knew about me so I asked questions about them.” In his final years, he continued to make a significant impact at Maple Knoll Village, Lockland Christian Church, as well as his extended family and many friends. We all miss him but …” we do not grieve like people who have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13