Ernest L. Stahl

Mishawaka – Monday afternoon, Nov. 26, 2018, a tough old Marine was reunited with his WWII buddies in heaven.  Ernest Stahl was born August 15, 1922 in LaGrange County to Willis and Minnie (Weirick) Stahl.  He was raised and loved by Claude and Melinda Selby of Fulton, Michigan.  Ernie moved to Goshen when he eloped with Mildred Stahl of Sturgis on Nov. 22, 1941.  She passed away in 2014.

Ernie was a complicated and remarkable person.  When he was eight, he left home to find his own way in the world, walking alone from Goshen to the Fulton, Michigan area where he encountered Claude Selby working his horses.  The childless Selby family took him in as their son, teaching him about love, responsibility, rewards, faith and fun.   He left their home to serve in the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Ernie enlisted in the US Marine Corps and was promptly sent to the Pacific theater where he was engaged in the initial landings on Saipan, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima.  It was at Iwo that he earned the Purple Heart for the life-threatening injuries that plagued him all his life.

Ernie worked every day of his life at something.  He worked for Western Rubber from the late 1940s until his retirement in his 60s. At the age of 84 he was urged by family to retire from Bontrager Pools to care for Mildred.  He then got to spend a little more time fishing, working on his home, and hanging out with neighbors. Finally at the age of 92 he decided to give up his big house and yard and moved to his “bachelor pad” at the Waterford at Edison Lakes in Mishawaka.  It was one of the happiest times of his life where he was blessed with many friendships.

Nothing was more important to Ernie than his children.  He is survived by his son, Robert (Terri) Stahl, South Bend; daughter, Lavon (Ronald) Herr, Topeka; and son, Roy Stahl, Seattle, Washington.  He cherished his grandchildren, Joseph Herr, Sarah VanHorn, Jon Herr, Alissa Stahl, Jen Schutte, and Simone McFadden, and his great-grandchildren, Freddie, Peyton, Evan, Carter, Emma, Ender and Jacob.   He is survived by his siblings, Paul Toth of Alaska, Helen Salisbury and Jean Toth, both of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He was preceded in death by his parents; the Selbys; brothers, Thomas Toth, Otis Stahl, Carl Toth and Conrad Sanderson and sisters, Rebecca Pappas and Ruth Kelly.

Visitation will be Sunday, Dec. 2 from 2 until the 4 p.m. funeral service at Faith (Trinity) Lutheran Church, 202 S. Greene Road, Goshen.  Private burial will follow on Monday.

The family extends its gratitude to the caregivers from the Center for Hospice Care, especially Shelli Lanfeare, Nicole Griffin and Syreatha Jackson.  In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Faith Lutheran Church or to Center for Hospice Care.

Semper Fi!