Richard Dwight Stansbury

LTC (Ret.) Richard Dwight Stansbury, age 73, of Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, passed away on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. Rick was born on March 11, 1950, in Nuremberg, Germany, the son of Col. (Ret.) Paul Stansbury and Celia Tilson Barfield. His family retired to Asheville, NC, where Rick spent many summers of his youth working at Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp mentoring the next generation of scouts and leading hiking expeditions to Cold Mountain and into the Shining Rock Wilderness near Canton, NC. He became an Eagle and Explorer Scout and continued his passion for hiking throughout his lifetime. In 1968, Rick graduated salutatorian from A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, NC. Following graduation from Davidson College in 1972, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. After completion of Ranger School, he married his love, Nancy, and they began their worldwide adventures together living on the North Shore of Hawaii while Rick was stationed at Schofield Barracks. Rick later attended U.S. Army Flight School at Fort Rucker, AL, fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming an Army aviator. Over his career, he had the opportunity to fly the Bell Huey and UH-60 Blackhawk, but flying the Aérospatiale Super Puma helicopter as a U.S. Army Exchange Officer with the Royal Singaporean Air Force for two years was a highlight of his career. He and his family moved 12 times in 20 years during his time in the Army. Rick completed his military service in Heidelberg, Germany, where he and his family lived in the same apartment building that Rick had lived in at age 10. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army, Rick and his family moved to Johnson City, TN, where he became a teacher for the Kingsport City Schools for 10 years. Boating, water skiing, and camping were favorite family pastimes during those years. In December 2022, Rick and Nancy moved to Fairfield Glade, TN, a retirement community, to be closer to their grandchildren. In addition to hiking, Rick enjoyed weekly tennis, the study of foreign languages, and adventuring with his family. He was an avid hobbyist, collector, and famous in his family for always being able to fix anything. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother, Gary Craig Stansbury. Rick is survived by his wife of 50 years, Nancy Paxton Stansbury; his son, Trent Stansbury, wife Tabitha, and grandchildren Taylor and Trevor of Knoxville, TN; and his daughter, Tracie Prichard, husband Zach, and grandchildren Sullivan and Copelan of Franklin, TN. If you would like to honor Rick in any way, he requested memorial donations in his name be sent to Disabled American Veterans, 2600 Holbrook Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37918. The family will gather in Asheville, NC, at a later date, in remembrance of his life. He will be greatly missed as a husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Arrangements and care provided by Bilbrey Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Crossville, TN.