George Richard Stanford, Jr. (Rich) was born Oct 18, 1955 in Fort Benning, GA to George Richard Stanford, Sr. (Dick) and Margie Davis Stanford.

Rich was a beloved father and friend to many. You would often see him either sailing on Percy Priest with the yacht club, riding the back roads of middle Tennessee on his motorcycle, or just floating with a drink in his hand in the pool. One common theme across all of his hobbies was he was always surrounded by friends and family. To those friends, Rich was the entertainment. Always witty, Rich could find humor in any situation and never missed an opportunity to make someone laugh. To his family, he was the foundation. He planned family vacations and get-togethers and made sure everyone was always having a good time.

Rich spent his early life moving from army fort to army fort across the southeast until his family landed in Memphis, TN. There he graduated from Christian Brothers high school, graduated with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from UT Martin, and finally met and married his wife (Nan) after meeting her during a rugby social. Nan and Rich moved to Murfreesboro to work at his dad's import/export business, but soon transitioned into home building. After building homes for a few years, he went back to pursue his masters in computer science at MTSU.

Rich was a longtime member of the Murfreesboro community. He served many years as a member of the Optimist Club and a short time as President. While his children were in highschool, he was a parent coach for the newly established men's and women's Siegel High School rugby teams. In his older years, he also joined the ROMEO club (Really Old Men Eating Out). He will be missed by his friends, neighbors, and family from all his hobbies, pastimes & goodtimes.

He leaves behind a devoted wife of 42 years, Nancy Diuguid Stanford, and loving children, Amy Sias (Chris), Laura Wildman (Ben), Tripp Stanford (Grace), and Scott Stanford.

Beloved grandchildren Dreanna Wildman, Gunner Sias, Wesley McDade, Ronin Sias, Joe Walt Wildman, and Powell Stanford; brothers Alan Stanford and Michael Stanford

Visitation will be at Woodfin Memorial Chapel on Saturday, August 20, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. with a memorial service to follow at 11:00 a.m. Family is planning a casual celebration of Rich's life Saturday afternoon following the service.  Details will be provided through social media as they are available.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rich's memory to First United Methodist Church of Murfreesboro, Rutherford County PAWS, Beesley Animal Foundation or Vanderbilt University Medical Center.