With the passing, aged 80, on Friday, September 17, of Emanuel Bryant (E.B.) Stafford Jr., the world has lost not only a husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, and teacher, but an expert knife-sharpener, whisky connoisseur, and prolific "hander-outer" of handkerchiefs.

A Navy Veteran who went on to spend his working life in education, E.B. was also a world traveler, a keen linguist who spoke German (always with a Southern accent), a music lover (with tastes ranging from classic rock 'n' roll to Johnny Cash to Glasgow Indie Band Altered Images), and a skilled cook with a penchant for soups and stews and a black belt in grilling.

Born in Florala, Alabama, E.B. attended elementary school in Samson, Alabama, before moving with his family to Brundidge and then to Greenville, where he completed high school. He discovered a love of travel when he joined the Navy in 1959, serving on board the USS Essex, where he worked as both the captain's driver and disc jockey.

After leaving the military in 1961, E.B. attended Auburn University where he received a B.S. and also earned an M.A. in education from Troy State University. He married Barbara Brantley in 1963, and the couple later had two daughters, Beth and Rebecca.

At Dothan High School, Alabama, and Campbell High School in Fairburn, Georgia, he taught biology, and his love of the natural world meant the family home regularly played host to rescued animals including birds, snakes, squirrels, lizards, and turtles.

To his daughters, he taught two simple but vital lessons: Always look after your teeth, and never lose your sense of humor. He led by example, following both philosophies throughout his life. E.B. loved to laugh, to tell jokes and have fun. His practical jokes, such as the occasion he helped a friend streak by the police station in Dothan, became the stuff of legend and only occasional outrage.

His love of travel led him to join the Department of Defense in 1982, where he worked in the education system. He first went to teach in Nurnberg, Germany, before taking a job as an assistant principal in Ansbach, where he met Pat George, the love of his life.  E.B. and Pat married on October 19, 1988, and were inseparable from that point as their careers took them from Germany to Spain to Turkey. In 1991, E.B. became the principal of the Schweinfurt, Germany Middle School. He also served as principal in Rota, Spain, and Ankara, Turkey, before he and Pat retired to Grenada, MS, in 2008. Their globetrotting careers only fuelled the couple's passion for travel, with favorite destinations over the years including the Czech Republic, Austria, France, and Portugal.

With his gregarious nature, love of life, and easy charm, E.B. made friends wherever he went. A man of many nicknames, he was E.B. to his friends, Clem to his sister Frances, Dagon to his children, and Opa to his grandchildren.  E.B. was a natural storyteller who knew exactly how to take his time with a good tale, as well as an appreciator of the finest Scotch whiskey. Give him a comfortable seat, a good Scotch, an audience for one of his tales and views of his beloved gulf coast and he was in his element.

You can tell a lot about a man by his tastes, and E.B's choice of favorite film - the Gary Cooper classic High Noon - speaks to his desire to live a life of honor. As husband, father, friend, or teacher, E.B. Stafford was a man you could depend on, whether you needed advice, assistance, or an expert hand to sharpen up your kitchenware. His pockets, seemingly magically, could be relied upon to produce whatever friends and family happened to require at any given moment, whether it be a pocketknife, fingernail clippers, chap stick, or the aforementioned handkerchiefs.. For a man who responded to life's ups and downs with levity, he never failed to face his responsibilities to family, friends, students and colleagues with absolute, unwavering seriousness and commitment.

In retirement, he devoted himself to his many interests and enthusiasms - continuing to expand his already vast vocabulary and honing his skills as a master griller of seafood - as well as finding new avenues to explore. Late in life he discovered an affinity for cats after befriending feral felines at Mexico Beach, Florida, and later rescuing abandoned cats in his neighborhood in Grenada.

E.B. Stafford is survived by his wife Pat, daughters Beth and Rebecca, grandchildren Atticus, Ethan, and Hannah, brothers Harlan and Paul, sister Annette, and many beloved nieces and nephews. His humor and wisdom touched the lives of countless more, who will all remember him with love and gratitude.

Donations can be made in his memory to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org . We also encourage you to get the Covid-19 vaccine just like he did.

Plans for a virtual memorial service are being made and will be announced at a later date.

Arrangements have been entrusted to McKibben and Guinn Funeral Service in Grenada, (662-307-2694).