John Stanfield
John Stanfield and his sister Dianna
John Stanfield (second from left), with his mother, Norma;
sister, Dianna; and father, Lavern
Remembering an Angel:
John Stanfield
by Kevin Caruso
John Stanfield was a handsome, talented, intelligent, and popular man living in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
And John Stanfield was an extremely caring person. He would always go out of his was to help others and would exhibit deep compassion and empathy for those who were suffering.
And he was an honest person. He did not like to hide his true thoughts or feelings. If you asked John a question, you could always depend on him to give an honest, well-thought-out response. And people respected him for that.
But he was also very sensitive - being honest did not mean hurting others. The last thing John ever wanted to do was to hurt someone's feelings, so he was always very careful to blend sensitivity with his honesty.
John had many interests. He loved music and was a talented guitarist, and he would oftentimes stay up late at night jamming with his dad, who also played the guitar.
He also loved movies and would amaze his friends and family at his knowledge of movie
trivia; and he would entertain them by quoting funny lines from various movies.
And John's wonderful sense of humor was one of his strongest qualities. He was able to make anyone laugh. And people loved to be around him because of his great sense of humor - they never knew when John would come up with another classic line!
John also enjoyed motocross riding, being around animals, and working on his computer.
But John suffered from depression and bipolar disorder, and because of these disorders he attempted suicide twice.
And although things seemed to improve for John when he found a lovely girlfriend, Denise, he actually was experiencing the worst depression of his life.
Unfortunately, Denise was also suffering from severe depression, and on July 29, 2004, John and Denise shot themselves in the head.
The police ruled it a double suicide.
John was 23.
John is missed by many, particularly his wonderful family, including his father, Lavern; mother, Norma; and sister, Dianna.
John is now an angel.
We miss you John.
