John Robert Bob Stubblefield Obituary (1921 - 2012)

John "Bob" Robert Stubblefield, 91, of Odell, died at 11:45 pm on Wednesday, October 16, 2012 at his residence. His funeral service will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at the United Church of Odell with Pastor Pat Morton, Dr. Rev. Ray Owens and Vitas Chaplain Daniel Cunningham officiating. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery in Pontiac with full military honors. Friends may call from 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Friday, October 19, 2012 at Duffy-Baier-Snedecor Funeral Home in Odell. He was born May 3, 1921 in Pontiac, the son of Kenneth Stanley and Anna Margaret (Ackley) Stubblefield. He married Shirley Jean Harris on Feburary 6, 1955 at the First Evangelical Church in Ottawa, IL. He is survived by his wife; four daughters, Debbie (Bob) Vogt of Odell, IL, Lori (Tom) Dunlap of Pontiac, IL, Sheri (Chuck) Sevenich of Buford, GA and Lisa Stubblefield of Springfield, IL; one sister, Harriett Baker of Peoria, IL; nine grandchildren, Alisha (Brandon) Uysaloglu, Nick (Kim) Vogt, Aaron Vogt, Lindsey Vogt, Vince Dunlap, Brett Dunlap, Hannah Dunlap, Anna Volker and Austin Volker; and 2 great-grandchildren, Ava Uysaloglu and Adalee Uysaloglu. He was preceded in death by his parents. He was educated in Odell Grade and High Schools, graduating from the Odell High School in 1939. On June 27, 1942, during World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and received Flight Training as an Aviation Cadet, Pilot Class 44-E. He was discharged from the Air Force on February 11, 1946. In June, 1948, he graduated from the University of Illinois, receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture, with additional teaching Majors in Mathematics and Physical Science. In February 1950, he received the Degree of Master of Science in Agronomy, Soils Major, from the University of Illinois, Department of Agronomy. From 1963 to 1968, as a Graduate Student at the University of Illinois, he passed the German and French Language Proficiency Examinations, conducted a 2-year University Field Plot Experiment, and completed Graduate Statistical Analysis of Variance Course Work for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agronomy. In June 1976, he received the Degree of Master of Science in Education Administration and Supervision from the University of Illinois, Department of Education. In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree, he submitted a 140 page thesis entitled "High School Counselors' Perception of Counselor Role and Counseling Approach". On November 29, 1984, he received a Diploma from Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, for completing the United States Air Force Squadron Officer School continuing Professional Military Education Program. On October 2, 1989, he became Veterans Service Officer for the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs. As Veterans Service Officer, he assisted all veterans, their dependents, and survivors in applying for all State and Federal Program benefits, due by reason of military service of the veteran. He held that position until March, 1, 2006. He was a member of the American Legion for 55 years, serving 3 years as Post Commander and one year as Livingston County Commander. During the 1986-1987 year, he served as 17th District Commander of the American Legion, State of Illinois. He also served as Chairman of the Military Preparedness Commission and as Chairman of the National Security Commission at the American Legion District and Division levels. Mr. Stubblefield was a grain-livestock farmer his entire life, however he taught full-time and/or part-time in many Livingston County and Grundy County Schools. He held State of Illinois Teaching and Administrative Certificates. He was a great believer in military preparedness. He was a member of the Air Force Association, the Association of the United States Army, the United States Naval Institute, and the Association of Naval Aviation. His philosophy for a strong and prosperous America centered on the importance of: (1) AGRICULTURE (An advocate of conservation of the soil through crop rotation and incorporation of stand-over, deep-rooted legumes); (2) EDUCATION (An advocate of a College Preparatory Curriculum in High School, with emphasis on weighted Advanced Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Foreign Language courses and also strict enforcement of the State of Illinois requirement that all teachers of Physics and Chemistry be State Certified as Physical Science Teachers; and (3) NATIONAL DEFENSE (An advocate of a strong Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corp, with emphasis on Air Power - thus insuring PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.)