James P. "Shay" Staunton of Stoneham formerly of Winchester and Ft. Myers Florida passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2009. He was 77 years of age.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Shay was the loving son of the late Mary (O'Donnell) Staunton and Patrick Staunton. Shay was a warm and caring husband, stepfather, grandfather and friend. He will be sorely missed.
During Vietnam, Shay proudly defended our freedom by serving in the United States Air Force.
Shay was the beloved husband of Rona (DiPietro) Staunton. He was Stepfather of Christine Marsters and her husband Billy of Florida, Rich Kurtz and his wife Mary Kay of Woburn, Ron Kurtz and his wife Janet of Arlington. Shay was the cherished grandfather of Anna and Katherine Kurtz of Arlington. He is also survived by a sister Irene Mentzer-Anderson of Florida. Shay also leaves many nieces and nephews, especially Michelle Nolan and Paul Staunton in Ireland, Mark Staunton of Chicago, Denise Sawyer of Billerica and Nicole Digiovane of Ashby. He was the surrogate grandfather to Olivia, Ella and Sienna Viti of Winchester.
Funeral from the Barile Family Funeral Home, 482 Main St. (RT 28) STONEHAM Tuesday at 9 am followed by a Funeral Mass celebrating Shay's life in St. Mary Church, 155 Washington St., Winchester at 10 am. Family and friends are cordially invited to gather and share remembrances with the family on Monday from 4-8 pm. Parking attendants will be available. Interment Wildwood Cemetery, Winchester. In lieu of flowers, please honor Shay with donations to the ALS Association, Development Dept., 27001 Agoura Rd, Suite 250, Calabasas, CA 91301 or Paralyzed Veterans of America, JFK Bldg., 1575 C, Boston, MA 02203.