WWII vet honored for his 100th birthday and his service
A room full of people sang “Happy Birthday” to a man with medals pinned to his chest sitting behind a birthday cake crowded by commendations and letters.
On Monday, John “Jack” Stauffer, a retired U.S. Navy man who served in World War II, turns 100 years old.
Friends, family, military members and government officials alike celebrated his momentous accomplishment one day early on Sunday at the Lowrie Place in Butler, where he has called home since 2018.
Stauffer stayed true to his quiet demeanor, sharing few words, but instead offered some smiles and shook the hands of each person who placed a the plaques, letters and other pieces of presentation in his hands.
Robert L. Reese, vice commander and adjutant for the General Matthew B. Ridgway Pittsburgh Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars, acted as emcee of the ceremonies.
Reese said it is important to honor as many World War II veterans as possible while we still have them.
According to information released in November by the U.S. Department of Defense, there were about 240,300 World War II veterans alive at that time, and they are dying at a pace of about 245 each day.
“What these veterans did during World War II enabled our freedom and way of government,” said Reese.
Stauffer was a 1941 graduate of Butler High School, and he enlisted in September 1942. He achieved the rank of petty officer as an aviation ordnance specialist, serving assignments in the Pacific and Atlantic.
At one point during the ceremony, Reese held out a handful of medals to Stauffer’s two living children, Thomas Stauffer and Pat Skornicka. Stauffer’s second son, John H. Stauffer, died in September.
The medals were replicas of those their father earned during his service.
Stauffer’s children said they were awestruck by the whole presentation.
“This is great,” Thomas Stauffer said. “This is amazing of the Navy as a whole network to honor senior veterans.”
Skornicka said her father deserved every bit of recognition, and she said he was an amazing father, too.
Following his honorable discharge, Stauffer returned to Meridian, where he and his late wife, Ellen Matheny Stauffer, raised their three children. For work, Stauffer picked up his father’s trade as a interior painter and wallpaper installation specialist.
“He’s been the best dad. He’s done so much for me and my brothers,” Skornicka said. “Family and friends are everything to him.”
Many people presented some form of commendation or letter on behalf of themselves or others.
Stauffer also received letters from the Butler County Commissioners, state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and even President Joe Biden.
Also, U.S. Navy Senior Admiral Michael M. Gilday, the highest ranking officer in the branch, sent a letter that was read by Chief Eddie Boeve, who serves with the Reserve Chapter in Pittsburgh.
“It’s a pleasure to see everything the community is doing for him,” Boeve said. “It’s inspirational to see and meet him as well.”
