Lester Leo Stubblefield, age 92, passed away Saturday, March 1, 2014 in Early. He was born in May, Texas, on September 5, 1921, to Mary and George Alzon Stubblefield. After graduating from May High School, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked on the reforestation project in the mountains of Wyoming. In February of 1941, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, trained at Camp Pendleton in California, and during WWII, as a rifle marksman and pistol sharpshooter, he served in a mortar battalion in the South Pacific, mostly on Wallis Island.
Mr. Stubblefield settled in Brownwood and was a car inspector for the Santa Fe Railroad until he retired in 1983. An avid woodworker all his life, he was an expert furniture builder and repairman, and was well known in the area for his refinishing work. He was also a wood carver, and leaves a prodigious collection of wood sculptures and constructions.
On June 16, 1946, he married Claudia Lee Lankford, who survives him. Other survivors include their three children, Gayle (Mrs. E. F. “Skip”) Blancett, of Salado, Texas, Jerry Stubblefield (and wife Cindy) of Asheville, North Carolina, and Lee Ellen (Mrs. Ronnie) Reeder, of Ira, Texas, and eight grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandson.
There will be no immediate funeral service. A memorial event will be planned and announced at a later date.
Condolences can be offered to the family at www.heartlandfuneralhome.net