Gerald “Gerry” Stapleton, 87, passed away Dec. 27, 2020, in Santa Barbara, California. He was born in Lillis, Kansas, and graduated from high school in Fairbury, Nebraska. He went to the University of Missouri on an NROTC scholarship, graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He then spent three years as a Marine Corps officer and began his career in electronic engineering. During this time he married the love of his life, Carol, and the couple had two children. The family lived in several locations before settling in Santa Barbara in 1963, where Gerry worked for many years in the aerospace and defense industry as a systems engineer and project manager. He also earned an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Gerry was a loving husband and father and enjoyed many family activities. He belonged to several organizations and enjoyed reading, singing with a barbershop chorus, and keeping up with computer technology. In his later years, he bravely lived with Parkinson’s Disease.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Bernadette Stapleton, and his sister, Rose Murphy. He is survived by his wife, Carol, son David (Debby) Stapleton, daughter Nancy Stapleton, grandchildren Cynthia Stapleton, Matthew Stapleton, and Jared Stapleton, sister Carol Stapleton, nephew Tony Murphy, nieces Katy (Vito) Vanoni and Monica (Rick) Alatorre, and brother-in-law Larry Murphy.
