Jesse E. Stay, 86, of Huntington Beach, CA, retired Air Force Colonel, died on June 17, 2008 of old age.




Jesse was born July 20, 1921 to Joseph Charles Stay and Alice Stay in Draper, UT, the youngest of 12 children. He met his sweetheart, Helen Valantine, in California while they were both in college and they were married July 13, 1942. Jesse joined the Army Air Corps in 1941 and served as a pilot in the South Pacific during World War II. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and many other commendations for his remarkable service. He was the founding commander of the Air Force ROTC at Brigham Young University and trained over 1,000 cadets. He remained in the Air Force until 1968 and was awarded the Congressional Legion of Merit for his service as the Director of Defense Information for the Department of Defense at the Pentagon. After a year in Hawaii as an Assistant to the President of the Church College of Hawaii, he was recruited to run the Motion Picture Studio at Brigham Young University, producing such works as "The First Vision" and the first LDS temple films. Jesse was active in the Boy Scouts of America and was awarded the Silver Beaver. Ecclesiastically he served as Bishop, Stake President, Mission President, Regional Representative, Sealer, Counselor in the Los Angeles Temple Presidency and as a Stake Patriarch for the LDS Church. He also served on the LDS Sunday School General Board.





Jesse is survived by his wife Helen, his seven children, Sharon Brown (Keith), Randy Stay (Becky), Linda Danielson (Darrel), Judy Moore, Larry Stay (Joyce), Greg Stay (Jennifer), Tim Stay (Dalita). He has 50 grandchildren and 89 great-grandchildren.





Funeral Services will be held at the Huntington Beach Fourth Ward Chapel on Saturday, June 21 at 11 a.m. There will be a Viewing from 10- 10:45 a.m.
Jesse will be interred in the Orem City Cemetery in Orem, Utah on Monday, June 23 at 11 a.m. with Full Military Honors accorded.
Published in the Deseret News on 6/19/2008.