Randy K. Stanifer

Randall (Randy) Keith Stanifer, 56, passed away August 23, 2021. Loving husband of nearly 30 years to his college sweetheart and the love of his life, Eleni Christofield Stanifer. Selfless father to Peter and Angelique Stanifer. Loving son of Patricia and the late Mack Stanifer. Loving son-in-law of Angeliki and the late Tex Christofield. Loving brother of Mack (Linda) Stanifer, Teresa Stanifer Curles and the late Sheila Margeson. Very loved brother-in-law of Tom and Joanna Caneris, Gus and Connie Georgostathis and Brent and Sharon Margeson. Proud and adoring uncle to Krystal Curles, Tasha (Nathanial) Bellows, Josh and Andrew Stanifer, Justin (Kassi) and Jeremy (Jessica) Margeson, Tiffany (Nick) Gardner, Alexandra (Anthony Baker), Anthony and Andrew Caneris and Dean, Angelika and Chloe Georgostathis. Proud and loving Godfather to Alexandra Henry. An honorable and caring friend to many, including those who tirelessly supported him throughout his heroic battle with pancreatic cancer.

Randy grew up a devout Christian and was chrismated into the Greek Orthodox Church by his loving Godparents Tasia Georgostathis and Michael Sampson. He practiced his faith at the Holy Trinity St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, embracing the ethos in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and becoming an active participant in life of the Church and annual volunteer at the Church’s Panegyri Greek Festival, where he and his wife Eleni could be found chairing the “Spanakopita & Tiropita” booth. A man of great faith, he admirably used his diagnosis with stage IV pancreatic cancer as a means to further strengthen his relationship with God.

A proud graduate of Deer Park High School and the University of Cincinnati, Randy spent his career in the fitness industry and took great pleasure in both transforming the lives of his customers and developing the careers of numerous fellow employees.

Randy was admired for his courageous spirit, positive attitude and unrelenting love for life. This was demonstrated by his love of travel (including frequent travel with family and friends to his Florida condo as a source of strength and happiness during his battle with cancer, where he especially enjoyed runs and bike rides with his daughter Angelique and “five-hour long walks on the beach” with his wife Eleni), willing embrace of his wife’s Greek culture, leadership within the local and political community, frequent attendance at local sporting events with his son Peter and brother-in-law Gus (among many others, including those seated nearby who undoubtedly noticed him for his oftentimes passionate support), and enthusiastic involvement in the lives of his nieces and nephews, exhibited via family gatherings, vacations and through his attendance at their childhood sporting events and graduations.

Randy loved competition and embraced it as a vehicle for both personal growth and healthy comradery. This love for competition began at a young age, where he took special joy in playing baseball and football at Deer Park, including as a star athlete of Deer Park’s only undefeated football team. It continued through his adult years where he, his brother Mack and his dear friend Dan Bollman spent time coaching their children’s sports teams. Furthermore, he especially looked forward to poker nights at family/friend gatherings and vacations and loved golfing with his brother Mack, his son Peter, his nephew Andrew, and his lifelong friends Joe Englert and Doug Heilbrun, among many others.

Randy’s love for adventure was infectious. His nieces, nephews and children remember him conquering his fear of heights by jumping off a 35-foot bridge at the ripe age of 50, cliff-jumping, cave-swimming and water-skiing in Greece weeks before his formal diagnosis with cancer, biking, exercising and playing soccer in Florida and hiking, ATV’ing and horse-back riding in Montana and Washington as he battled cancer, and golfing up until only weeks before his passing. As merely one of countless examples of his audacious and unwavering love for life, months prior to his passing Randy played what his friend Joe calls the “Miracle Round” of golf, where, upon dischargement from a multi-day stay at the hospital, his wife Eleni drove him directly to a golf course in Orlando so he could join his friends golfing on the last day of their annual golf trip.

Though Randy was blessed to have developed indelible relationships with many close family and friends, the true strength of his character is demonstrated by the breadth of his impact. After being diagnosed, his friend Doug created a social media page called “Rally for Randy,” where family, friends and acquaintances posted hundreds of pictures wearing “Rally for Randy” wristbands (lovingly provided by his life-long friend, Mark Feldhaus) and stories of what he meant to them. One person said that when he thinks of a family man he “think(s) of Randy.” It was repeatedly expressed that Randy had an infectious smile which could light up a room. Perhaps most tellingly, many people, especially his high school classmates, made a point to explain how Randy was kind, respectful and courteous to all he encountered. He gave hope to one man that he “could be more than that outcast feeling kid I had been for most of my life” and for one girl he “set up for me what I wanted in a man.” These are just a few of the countless testaments to the ways Randy impacted the lives of those he touched.

Randy Stanifer will be forever remembered as a devoted husband, loving brother, uncle and son, enthusiastic and caring friend and acquaintance, and as the best parent his children could hope to ask for. His unyielding courage and love endures as an inspiration to all that were so lucky to know him.

May his memory be eternal.

Memorial donations can be made to Holy Trinity St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (address below) or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network .

Visitation:

Thursday, August 26

4 PM-8 PM

Mueller Funeral Home

6791 Tylersville Road

Mason, OH 45040

Trisagion Prayers: 6:00 PM

Funeral Service:

Friday, August 27

12:00 PM

Holy Trinity St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

7000 Winton Road

Cincinnati, OH 45224

Catered meal following service