Robert Lafayette Stainton, Jr., 73, passed away on Sunday, February 25th at his home in Jackson, Mississippi. He was preceded in death by his beloved parents, Robert Lafayette and Kathryn Law Stainton. He is survived by: his daughter Martha Rosalind Stainton of Washington, DC; his daughter and son-in-law Sarah Ryburn and Rick Mealer of Jackson, Mississippi; and his daughters and sons-in-law Mary Gwin and Fred Morris, and Amanda Hutton and Tommy Sanderson along with his grandchildren Samuel and Mary Ryburn Morris and Anna Dixon Sanderson, all of Birmingham, Alabama.

Bob, as he was known to family and friends, was born on April 14, 1944, in Jackson, Mississippi. He was a graduate of Murrah High School and Belhaven College. After earning a BS in Business Administration from Belhaven College, he worked for Deposit Guaranty National Bank for a number of years and also in the construction business before ultimately joining the administration of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1993. He served UMMC in Property and Materials Management until his retirement as department head in 2014.

He served his community in a number of capacities, as a member of the JAG Reserve and the Mississippi Homebuilders Association. He also had a lifelong love of music and was a past president of the Jackson Music Association as well as a member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Belhaven College Concert Choirs.

He was a private person but also a deeply loyal friend, loving father, and devoted grandfather. He lived life without pretension and accepted others with an open and generous heart, willing to do anything to help his family and friends. Throughout his life, he held to a faithful belief in God's grace, sovereignty, and provision. As he recently reminded his family, "the Lord takes care of his own."

Visitation will be held at Wright & Ferguson in Clinton, MS, at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, followed by a funeral service in the chapel of Wright & Ferguson at 2p.m. and a graveside service at Lakewood Memorial Park on Clinton Boulevard.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to Belhaven University, Reformed Theological Seminary, or the Mississippi Symphonic Band.