Henry Staves, 82

Henry Paul Staves, 82, of Tupper Lake, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, September 29, surrounded by his loving family.

Calling hours for Henry were held on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Frary Funeral Home at 24 Cliff Ave, Tupper Lake with a graveside service immediately following at St. Alphonsus Cemetery.

Henry is survived by his wife Charlene (DeMars) Staves, his children; Marc and (Cathy) Staves, of Tupper Lake. Marla Staves DeVito of Lake Placid, Nancy Staves Silva of Massena, Matthew and (Nancy) Staves of Collinsville, Illinois and Gregg and (Gwen) Staves of Massena

Henry is also survived by his grandchildren: Christina Hoffnagle, Nicole Amell; Alyssa Staves DeVito; Megan and Malia Silva; Drew Smith, Brandon Staves, Jordan Staves; Jarred Gaff, Joshua Smith, Meghan Smith, Henry, Hunter, Hayden, Anna, Tyla, Gregg, Tanner, Khloe, Blaze, Rikki Staves and Lexie Adams and his great grandchildren: Ashton Hoffnagle; Caden & Madelyn Amell; Echo Staves; Landon Ellis and Rayna Larock; Greyson Floyd; Abrianna Smith.

In addition he leaves behind his younger brother Gerald Staves and his wife, Pauline, and many nieces and nephews.

He is predeceased by two grandsons, Ryan Staves and Tyler Breton; his brother, Donald, and sisters- Betty, Shirley and Mary Alice.

Henry was born in Tupper Lake, NY on April 2, 1939, the son of Leroy and Margaret (LaMoy) Staves. He graduated from Tupper Lake High School in 1957. Upon graduation he enlisted in the United States Air Force where he trained and served as a Flight Engineer, with the majority of his enlistment spent at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.

Henry married Charlene DeMars of Tupper Lake, the love of his life, on October 28th, 1961 at St. Alphonsus Church and together they raised a beautiful family that he was tremendously proud of.

Early on, following his military service, Henry was accepted into the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Working with the IBEW, and as is often the case with these men and women, he took a great deal of pride and accomplishment while having the opportunity to work many large construction jobs during his career. He not only worked around New York State, but across the Northeast, including the large paper mill in Skowhegan, Maine. Some of the more notable jobs he worked at were the Atlas ICBM missile projects during the early 1960’s at Sugarbush, N.Y.

Henry also enjoyed telling stories about he and his good friend and traveling partner Ricky Bujold. Henry would often recall how they worked together at many of the school construction projects, shopping malls and correctional facilities. And, in Lake Placid in preparation of the 1980 Winter Olympics they worked at many of the Olympic venues, including the summit of Whiteface Mountain.

They also worked through and overcame the challenges to install one of the highest power generator systems in the State of New York.

Henry was an avid big game hunter, trapper and woodsman. He was noted for taking down many large bucks from the area and had the horn collection to prove it. Each set had its own story.

As a knowledgeable and crafty fur trapper, he had many successful fur harvests though the years and enjoyed the sport immensely.

Henry also served as the Scoutmaster of Troop 23 in Tupper Lake for many years. He was very passionate about the scouting program. For over two decades he remained active in various capacities and always would revel in the friendly rivalries between Troop 23 and Troop 11 with his friend and fellow scoutmaster, Dave Premo.

His was a life well lived. He will forever be missed deeply and remembered fondly.