Christian John Stockel

Obituary of Christian Stockel Christian John Stockel, LEESBURG - Mr. Chris Stockel of Leesburg, FL, formerly of Tucker, GA, died peacefully the morning of June 30th, 2015. He was 83 years of age. Born October 28th, 1931 in Perth Amboy, NJ, he later moved to Woodbridge, NJ where he graduated from Woodbridge High School in 1950. He served in the US Naval Reserves 1948-1949 and then formally enlisted in the United States Navy in 1950. He served as an Aviation Machinist Mate 3rd Class aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Bon Homme Richard, in 1952 during the Korean War. He served honorably until 1954, when he was released from service. On October 24th, 1954, he married his sweetheart, Ruth Hrdlicka. In 1957, he would use his naval drafting skills with Cooper Alloy Corp., working as a mechanical draftsman. From 1962 until 1965 he served as a Production Supervisor for both Piels Brewery, Staten Island, NY and OTD Terminals Corp./Union Carbide in Perth Amboy, NJ. From 1965 until 1974 he was Sales Engineer and Representative for Standard Knapp Corp., a job which led the family to Tucker, GA in 1967. In the 1970s he volunteered his time and skills providing and maintaining the fields and facilities at Fitzgerald Field in Tucker, GA. His time there impacted thousands of young lives. He took much pride in his work and it showed. It was also during his time working at Fitzgerald that he realized his passion for the lighting industry. For him, it was the perfect combination of trigonometry, aesthetic and necessity. He decided to put this dream to use and open his own business. "Work for yourself, and you'll never work another day in your life," he always said. So, in 1980 he founded Metro Outdoor Lighting. If you ever parked your car at any mall in the Metro Atlanta area, the lights in the parking lot were most likely courtesy of Metro Outdoor. He would close the doors in 2004 and retire to Leesburg, FL, at the age of 72. Chris was driven by his inquisitive mind. If he lacked knowledge to do something, he would find the resources to figure out how to accomplish it. If he didn't know how an object worked, it would be disassembled and then reassembled, most of the time back in working order. He took pride in absolutely every job and task he took to. He was a man full of generosity, full of flaws, full of love, full of ideas. He will be fully missed. Chris is survived by his wife of 60 years, Ruth Stockel; his two children, Ginger (Stockel) Varnum, of Charlotte, NC, C. J. Stockel, Jr. and wife Meleisa of Flowery Branch, GA; three grandchildren, Courtney and husband Jay of Charlotte, NC, Madison and Hope of Flowery Branch, GA; and one great-grandchild, Abigail.

Christian John Stockel

October 28, 1931 - June 30, 2015