John Stafford Obituary

I'm sorry for the late entry. John was one of those wonderful guys you get to know once in a lifetime. During part of my career on the floor I ran the largest stock execution business on The CBOE. John was one of the dozen or so guys I always dreamed about having as a customer. I approached him one day and asked if there was a chance that he might try my firm for some of his stock business. He said he'd be happy to give us a try. Always being a man of his word, he followed through and we did a good amount of business on and off over the years. John was always patient and gracious. He was what I refer to as a quiet giant in our business. The man maintained a calm about him that very few other traders of his caliber could. He was always a complete gentleman. He always had a nice word or two with me when he wasn't busy using his rocket science level brain on a complex multi leg trade. I truly enjoyed getting to know him in our business relationship. He was one of the Giants of our humble floor to be sure. I offer my condolences to the Stafford Family. May John rest in eternal peace.

Mr. Stafford always treated me as an adult. Even when he knew me as a teenager. He believed in me and helped me in business with my first job and then backed me to start at the CBOE. He was always great to me from a young age. He taught me to be an "actor " on the floor. I´ll never forget his guidance. My best. Colby

Dearest "Spook"........

I first met John in the IBM trading pit in 1979 . John was one of the few traders at that time who understood the mathematical pricing of options.
He was definitely a pioneer in the industry.
Over decades I watched John help many traders. He was honorable and generous.
In the 1987 crash I watched John help out a close friend of his with a multi million dollar loan . I had never experienced such generosity. I was forever changed from that experience.
John was quirky and inquisitive. He was a courageous trader who never backed down from an opportunity.
He changed my life in a positive way as I stood side by side with him for decades.
He will be missed and remembered.

John gave my partners and me a chance to trade, even though we had no track record to speak of. He was an honorable, fair, and extremely decent man, who gave real opportunity many, many people.

Absolute gem of a man that changed the lives of so many people - me included. Can't imagine where I would be if he hadn't given me a shot - and he did it with a simple handshake deal.

He gave me a dream opportunity and made me a trader on the cboe. No college education, nothing. I was pretty good at golf and he hooked me up. 1 in a Billion guy for sure.

John was always a gentleman man. We will miss all our laughter over dinners at The Vintage or at Conway Farms. He had the biggest smile. We are sending lots of love you Susan and Kimberly.

I got the blessing of working for/with John for many years. He was a great mentor and an inspiration. John would constantly provide wisdom and yet was always humble and approachable. John would give me books he read and talk about the parts he thought were most valuable. John had a desire to understand everything and it allowed him to ask tough questions that lead things to the best destination. John coached me in my career, in my life, and even in basketball. John's generosity and impact are so great that I don't know the right words to express the gratitude I have for him. I will post one story that reflects his example. John was a big Michael Jordan fan and he took a couple of us from the technology group to a golf club to golf. When we got the the club Michael Jordan was there and John had not golfed with Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan asked John if he wanted to golf with him and John said "no, I am golfing with these guys". I don't know if he did ever get to golf with Jordan, but I know he treated us like nothing was more important to him.