Stanley Chatfield Obituary

Loving husband and gentle father, Stan Chatfield, died peacefully on October 21st following a prolonged illness.

Stan was the last of nine children born to Mark and Gertrude Chatfield of Minot, North Dakota. From an early age he was fascinated by flight. After completing two years of Engineering at the University of North Dakota he was accepted into the Army Air Corps one month before the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1942 he earned his pilot wings and completed Advanced Flight Training at Luke Field, Arizona. As a combat pilot during WWII he flew the P-39 in North Africa, the P-47 in the Anzio invasion, and the P-40 as a member of the Flying Tigers in China.

In 1945, he was chosen to instruct cadets at the new Fighter School at Williams Field, Arizona where he passed his love of aviation to a new generation of pilots.

During the Korean War he flew the P-51 which he believed was "the best propeller driven fighter ever built". The last plane he flew was the F-4 which he tested at McDonald Douglass and helped the Air Force procure. He was a highly decorated Command Pilot earning the Legion of Merit (2), the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal (3) and campaign medals from Africa to Korea. During his thirty years of military service he flew twenty-two different aircraft.

He was devoted to his family and valued integrity, loyalty and generosity above personal ambition. He felt education was his best legacy and supported his children and grandchildren's aspirations. His scholarship fund inspired two doctors, a lawyer, fighter pilot, nurses, teachers, and business professionals to follow his example.

Stan is survived by his wife of 71 years, Margery, as well as five children, 16 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Jeffrey.

He will be interred next to his son in a private ceremony at St. Matthias Cemetery in 2015.