John Alan Stave

    John Alan Stave of Meridian, Idaho, passed away at home on August 9, 2024.  He was born March 25, 1938, in Detroit, Michigan to Erling Stave and Alpha Svangstu Stave. At an early age his family moved to Minnesota and eventually settled in Mound, Minnesota. John graduated from Mound High School in 1956 and attended Northwestern Prep in Minneapolis before his acceptance to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 

    While at the Academy, John enjoyed rowing crew, but he really enjoyed playing Bridge and was very proud when he won “The Goren Bridge Club Award” one month.

     John graduated from USNA in 1961. Three days later, he married Marilyn Cornelius in Wayzata, Minnesota and then their Navy adventure began! 

     John’s Naval career started in Vallejo, California at Nuclear Power School and then Nuclear Power Training Center in Idaho and finally the Submarines School in Groton, Connecticut. 

     He served on four nuclear subs. During his tour, John was sent to Newport News, Virgina to the new construction of the USS George C Marshall, his first FBM sub. During this tour, he qualified as Engineering Officer. Having reached that goal he was transferred to the USS Thomas Edison, another FBM that was being overhauled in Charleston, South Carolina and then returned to Groton, Connecticut. His final assignment was aboard the Nautilus. He eventually had Shore Duty that took him to Norfolk, Virgina and Point Loma, California. John retired from the Navy in 1981. 

     Upon retiring from the Navy, John worked for Bechtel at nuclear generating stations in California, Arizona, and South Carolina. He finally retired from Bechtel in 1997 and entered a busy and interesting retirement.

     John maintained a busy and well-equipped workshop where he was a wonderful repairer of broken things as well as building new ones. He dabbled in gemstones, remote control airplanes, old tractors, gardening, whittling, repairing old radios, and collecting 78 records to play on his Victrola. He had many admirers for his renovations of player pianos. He loved honkytonk music and barbershop quartets. He even sang with a barbershop chorus. He was an avid RVer in any fashion, VW bus, travel trailers, pickup campers, and motorhomes. He dragged Marilyn all over the western United States off road/any road. For many years John and Marilyn made an annual trek to famous (among RVers) Quartzite, Arizona where they camped in the desert with thousands of desert dwellers. 

     John was a conscientious volunteer with Cub Scouts, St. Vincent de Paul food bank, Lions Club, various church activities and assisting the Congolese immigrant community at Meridian United Methodist. 

     John is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 63 years, Marilyn; daughter, Sheila (Paul) Grisham; son, Eric (Melinda) Stave; 5 grandchildren: Ian, Zoe (Jake) Baum, and Eva Stave, and Johnathan and Elisabeth Grisham; two sisters: Marcia Hyytinen and Karen (Tom) Ritter; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.  He was predeceased by his parents: Erling and Alpha Stave; and his mother and father-in-law, Don and Pearl Cornelius.

     Funeral services are at Meridian United Methodist Church Friday, September 6th at 11:00 AM, followed by burial at Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Accent Funeral Home.

     In lieu of flowers, donations may be made the BELONGCO.org, CATCH, or the Meridian Food Bank.