Vernon Franklin Stalion

Vernon Franklin Stalion, age 96, of Salem passed away peacefully at home February 27, 2022.  He was born July 9, 1925 to Vernon Cruce and Ada Ellen Ramage Stalion.

He married Dorothy Helen Cooper April 14, 1950 and they had five daughters.  He was preceded in death by his loving wife, his parents, and brothers - Maurice Vincent and Ralph, sister Helen Carpenter, and great-grandson Jonas Roman Keller.

He is survived by his daughters Mary Helen (Reg) Hodges of Port Orange, FL; Carolyn (Richard) Grainger and Martha Stalion of Salem; Susan Stalion and Nancy (Guy) Hall of Newburgh, IN; grandchildren Lee Ann (Mike) Keller, Ben Grainger, Daniel Franklin (Sara) Hall and Emily Hall (Jeremy Kemper); great grandchildren  Deborah, Katharine, Gabriel, Sydney, Melina and Cynthia Keller, Clara and Cooper Stalion Hall; nieces and nephews. 

Mr. Stalion grew up in the Pleasant Grove community.  He fondly remembered his childhood, which included hunting, fishing, working on the family farm and walking 6 miles to school.  He went early to school to make the fire so the school room would be warm when the teacher and students arrived.  He was paid one penny a day. He was Valedictorian and class president of his 1943 Senior Class of Salem High School.

Mr. Stalion served in the US Army.  He received basic training at Camp Barkeley in Abilene, Texas.  He was trained as a medic at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.  He then traveled across the Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth with about 5,500 additional soldiers and nurses.  He arrived in England and was assigned to the 162nd Surgical Army Hospital in Lincolnshire through the end of the war. He received the following decorations and citations: EAME Theater Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, and the Victory Medal World War II.  After the war, he served in France at the 155th General Hospital.  Upon receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Army, he returned to work on the family farm.

Mr. Stalion was a member of Salem Baptist Church and previously Union Baptist Church. 

He was a farmer, pipefitter at BF Goodrich, security guard at Cero Mines, worked at the Crittenden County School System Maintenance Department, the Kentucky State Highway Department, and Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation.

Mr. Stalion set a good example for having a strong work ethic.  He was passionate about gardening and continued to raise a large vegetable garden until the age of 91 when his wife passed away. He enjoyed gathering the vegetables to share with friends and neighbors.

Mr. Stalion is remembered as a good Christian man who believed in the importance of tithing and helping others. He and Dorothy raised their girls in a loving Christian home.  They taught them about the love of Jesus and the importance of knowing Jesus as their personal Savior.   Franklin and Dorothy were very proud of their girls who all graduated from college, their grands and great-grands.  He lovingly referred to them as his “sugarwads”.  

The family would like to thank Mercy Hospice, Deanie Tabor, Donniece Taylor, and Whitney Kinnis, who lovingly cared for him and his family in his final days.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Salem Cemetery Fund, PO Box 26, Salem, KY 42078; Marion United Methodist Church, 112 S. College Street, Marion, KY 42064; or Miracle Word Church, 100 West Main Street, Salem, KY  42078.

Funeral services will be Sunday, March 6, 2022, at 2 PM, in the chapel of Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation Services. Burial will follow in Salem Cemetery, with military honors.

Friends may visit with the family Sunday, from 11 AM until the funeral hour, in the chapel of Boyd Funeral Directors and Cremation Services.

Condolences may also be left online at boydfuneraldiretors.com.

CLICK HERE to view the funeral webcast of Mr. Vernon Franklin Stalion.  Webcast will begin at 2 PM CST.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vernon Franklin Stalion, please visit our floral store.