Kevin Vincent Stafford

I first met Sharon and Kevin, Jo and Lissy in Portland Vic. in 1982 when they were living in Heywood but spending every chance they could camping on their block at Bridgewater Bay.  Sharon and I have been close friends since our first meeting - Sharon was 'Matron of Honour' and Lissy  'Flowergirl' at my wedding.   In the early days  Kevin 'tolerated' me hogging Sharon for hours on end on the telephone and constantly being 'in situ' in their Heywood abode or Bridgewater block when he came home from work.......

In more recent times I actually got to know Kevin better.   I was constantly in awe of his strength in coping with this cursed MS over decades - living in constant hope of a cure 'in his time' - sadly this was not to be but Kevin was a beacon of hope to us all with his brave resilience and tenacity to just 'keep on keeping on............'  I feel confident that he's still there loving his family from a  different dimension and thankfully so FREE of illness. 

Kevin, I still see you flying on your motorbike up the hill at Bridgewater.........a tall, dark and handsome beautiful man home at last with his 'girls' xxx 

Posted by Judy Antill 30/04/2024

Kevin Vincent Stafford passed peacefully from this world on Thursday the 4th of January 2024, aged 74. A loving husband to his eternally devoted Sharon for 50 years, and the proud father of two daughters, Joanna and Elissa. He is survived by six grandchildren, Lachlan, Alannah, Tom, Dylan, Isabel and Amy.

We love you so much and we miss you so deeply, but we are forever grateful that you battled through for so long and taught us so much. Thank you for being the rock of our family, our Daddy, our Pop, our Kev.

Kevin was born and raised in Preston, Melbourne, the beloved son of John and Mary, and he is now back in their warm embrace. Along with Aunty Monica, Uncle Kevin, Grandma Connie, Uncle Neville, Leo and Kath, and all his family whom he cherished so dearly.

He was a loving middle brother to Brendan and Gerard, and is very fondly remembered by their children Joseph, Anthony, Maree, Catherine, Stephen and Paul, and so many beautiful cousins and friends he held closely.

Kevin was a dedicated teacher working in Edenhope, Lavers Hill, Heywood and the Distance Education Centre in Melbourne. He met his kindred spirit Greg Parker in his early teaching days at Lavers Hill, and amazing best friend who has been by his side to the end.

Kevin loved, embraced life and people fully. Always intelligent, thoughtful, reflective and kind, he touched the hearts of so many. He always stayed connected, he batted for the underdog and cared for the environment. His faith nourished him. He had a wonderful sense of humour and knew how to have fun. He had a heart of gold and never ever gave up.

He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 37 and he will be remembered for his courage and determination as the disease progressed and affected him, his family and friends.

We are forever grateful to Kevin's loyal and dedicated carers who worked so hard to keep him going and enhance his quality of life the many many years.

The rock has rolled away for now but Kevin's memory shall never fade. His gentle and loving soul will live in our hearts forever.

A celebration of Kevin's life will be held later in February and we welcome all who knew him to gather together and reflect on this very special man.

Posted by Sharon Stafford 12/01/2024