William David Stinson

William David Stinson, Jr. died on March 17, 2009, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. He was born May 9, 1926, in Memphis to Dr. and Mrs. William David Stinson, Sr. His great-grandfather, William Hume Goodlett, was an early settler of Memphis. Goodlett Brothers Cotton Company operated on Front Street for many years. He attended Pentecost-Garrison and graduated from the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, in 1944. The Webb School had an enduring impact on him. He formed life-long friendships at the school and often told stories of his years at Webb. He loved swimming in the creeks at the school, reciting Latin while seated on a long wooden bench and enjoying close relationships with his teachers at the boarding school. After graduation in 1944, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Army and arrived on Okinawa shortly after the end of the battle for the island. The war’s death and destruction instilled in him a commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflict, whenever and wherever possible. Upon his release from active duty, Mr. Stinson attended the University of Virginia where he developed a lasting interest in the life and works of Thomas Jefferson. He completed his bachelor’s degree, as well as his law degree, at the University of Mississippi. He married Rosemary Nelms in 1952 and was a devoted husband for more than fifty years. During his legal career, Mr. Stinson was general counsel for Welcome Wagon. From 1970 to 1982, he served as a Shelby County General Sessions judge. As a judge, he was known for his fairness and patience. Following his judicial service, he practiced law in Bolivar, Tennessee, for twenty years. Mr. Stinson loved Serles Farms, his home in Hardeman County, and often reflected on his summers spent at his grandfather’s plantation at Lake Providence, Louisiana, where he developed a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature and love of the land. He was a Presbyterian, elder and Sunday school teacher.



He leaves his wife Rosemary Stinson, his son William David Stinson III and his wife Wendy, his daughter Ellen Rardin and her husband Kevin, and three grandchildren: Mary Clark Goodlett Rardin, Madeline Rose Phillips Rardin, and William David Stinson IV.