Herb Stafford Jr., a World War II Navy veteran and one of the founding members of the Veterans Memorial Park, has died at 92.

Stafford was a familiar face at veterans functions, spoke at schools, was active in the Groves Masonic Lodge and local Boy Scouts program, was the longest-tenured member of Groves United Methodist Church and past commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 4820.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and all of his friends,” Jefferson County Commissioner Brent Weaver said. “Herb Stafford was a person who really cared tremendously about the Veterans Memorial Park and veterans in general. I’ve always enjoyed working with Herb and the rest of the VFW personnel on different projects at the park.”

In 2008, the VFW group with an aging membership stepped away from the park they created, allowing the county to care for the park and its exhibits.

Longtime friend James White, who often traded humorous verbal jabs with Stafford, recalled some of their exploits.

“We’ve known each other since we were in the sixth grade at Groves Elementary. After seventh grade I went to school in Port Neches and he went to Port Arthur,” White said.”

Stafford, at the age of 17, attended his high school graduation and left for the Navy the next day at 6 a.m. White enlisted in the Army while he was still a senior before being called to duty, according to archive information.

Stafford served as a machine gunner on the USS Corson, a seaplane tender. He saw action in the South Pacific and entered Nagasaki two weeks after it was bombed.

Stafford went on to college at Texas A&M for a year, spent a year at Lamar University and later graduated from the University of Texas in 1950. He spent nearly 20 years at Jones and Laughlin Steel before retiring.

In 1952 he met and married Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Daley. The couple opened Stafford’s Nursery in 1959 and operated the business for almost 40 years before retiring.

But it was the VFW Post and Veterans Park that resonate with many.

“One of our biggest accomplishments Herb and I worked on together was to try and ensure the future of the Veterans Park and we finally got the county to assume the title to the park so its future is secure,” White said.

Visitation for Herb Stafford will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Levingston Funeral Home in Groves. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at First United Methodist Church in Groves. Military graveside services will follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches.