James "Jim" G. Stofer, 94, passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2016 surrounded by his family while listening to music. He was born on October 14, 1921 in Brooklyn where he grew up in a large family. After he dropped out of Boy's High School over a disagreement with a teacher, Jim decided to see the world and joined the U.S. Navy at the age of seventeen. It was in the Navy where he finished high school.  Jim served on the cruiser USS Portland (Sweet Pea), one of the most decorated ships of World War II. He was a first class petty officer radioman. He also edited the ship's newspaper and served as its historian.  Although he was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941, the USS Portland was on maneuvers on December 7. It returned to port two days after the attack. Jim served in many major battles including Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal, and he received many military honors including a Purple Heart.  While on leave during World War II, he married his good friend and wife of over 70 years, Marie Joan Curley who predeceases him. They had two children, Andrea and Eugene during the war.

After the war, he and his family moved to Plattsburgh where he attended what is now SUNY Plattsburgh; later, he graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Following graduation, he moved to New Jersey where he worked for Johnson and Johnson (Chicopee Division) until his retirement rising through the ranks to be a corporate officer.

A natural polyglot, Jim spoke (and sang in) fluent Spanish, French and Italian. He also developed a strong knowledge of German, Polish, Russian as well as Yiddish and Hebrew, all he improved while a teenager working for a family pharmacy in Brooklyn. His language abilities helped his performance of music and theater. Throughout his life, he and Marie were active in choirs and community-theater in New Jersey and New York. With little or no encouragement, he would routinely belt out a show tune and break into dance. Along with his love of theater, he maintained the curiosity of a child learning new skills including social media. He and Marie loved to travel, and they enjoyed the company of a large family and many friends.

After being snowbirds for many years, Jim and Marie moved to Pensacola in 2005 but always missed the seasons of New York. Ultimately, they settled in Azalea Trace where they made many friends from the local area.

Jim is survived by his daughter, Andrea Stofer Carey (Dan) of Pensacola and son, Eugene Stofer (Rosemary Martin) of Jacksonville; his grandchildren, Brian Carey (Sophelia Dale) of Pensacola, Elaine Carey (Javier Alvarez-Isasi) of New York City and Erin Carey (Richard Butler) of Seattle; his great grandchildren, Lucas, Xavier and Roardan; his dear friend, Evelyn Busch and many family and friends.

Visitation will be held at 1:30pm-3:00pm and 5:30-7:00pm Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel with a Rosary being prayed at 1:30pm. Funeral Mass will be held 10:00am Thursday, September 1, 2016 at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church with Fr. Chris LeBlanc celebrant. Burial will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sacred Heart Children's Hospital (5959 N. 9th Ave; Pensacola FL 32504) or Catholic Medical Mission Board (10 W. 17th St.; New York, NY).

The family also offers special thanks to the Emergency Room of West Florida Regional Hospital, West Florida hospital ICU and Covenant Care.