Alden E. Stilson, Jr.

A funeral service for Alden E. Stilson, Jr., Major General USAR (Retired) will be held at 2:30 P.M. Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at Centenary United Methodist Church, 102 E. Broadway, Granville with Rev. Stephen J. Cramer as celebrant. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church.

Alden E. Stilson, Jr., Major General USAR (Retired) answered his final roll call on 24 May 2016. He was born October 15, 1925 in Portsmouth, Ohio the first born son of Alden E. Stilson, Brigadier General USAR (Retired) and Mrs. Margaret Louise (Hyde) Stilson of Nelsonville, Ohio. Alden Jr. was predeceased by the love of his life, Virginia (Denning) Stilson, whom he married September 18, 1948. Ginny passed away on August 5, 2012 after 64 wonderful years together. Alden Jr. was also preceded in death by his younger brother, Jerimiah Hyde Stilson, Lt. Colonel, Armor USAR (Retired); eldest daughter, Catherine Lee Stilson Grant; and niece, Suzanne Stilson.

Alden Jr. is survived by his middle daughter, Rebecca Armstrong Stilson, M.D. and his son-in-law, Michael Sullivan, M.D. and their children, Racheal, Hannah, and Samuel. He is also survived by his youngest daughter, Barbara Hamilton Stilson Huff and her husband, James W. Huff and their children, Alexander and his wife Lauren, Benjamin, and Julia. Also surviving are his nephew, William Earl Stilson, Major Engineer, USAR (Retired) and his sons, Jeremiah, William, Thomas, and Joseph; and niece Amy Louise Stilson Pogliano and her husband Georgio Pogliano and their daughters, Valentina, Jennifer, and Olivia of Turin, Italy.

Alden E. Stilson Jr. enlisted in the USAR on September 29, 1943. He served in C Battery, 26 Field Artillery Battalion (Mule Pack), at Fort Still Oklahoma, before being assigned to 3rd Battalion 343rd Infantry Regiment, 86 Infantry Division in March 1943. He served in I Company, L Company, and HQ Company of the battalion in the Continental USA and the European Theater of operation, to include the Rhineland  and Central Europe campaigns and then in the Philippine Islands until returning to the USA for relief from active duty on May 6, 1946. He entered Ohio State University in September 1946, and was commissioned to 2nd Lieutenant Field Artillery on June 8, 1948. Alden graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture in March 1950. In July 1948, he joined HQ Battery, 37th Division Artillery, Ohio National Guard and served there until called to active duty with the 37th Division on September 8, 1951. He was ordered to combat duty in Korea in September 1952 and served with the 937th Field Artillery Battalion in the IX Corps, 8th Army until the Armistice August 2, 1953. Upon returning to the US, he was relieved of active duty on August 28, 1953. In September 1953, he entered The OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and graduated in June 1957. He entered general Veterinary practice under Dr. Robert Folson in Danville, Kentucky immediately after graduation. He remained there until September 1958, when he was asked to join the staff of the University of Louisville serving as Veterinarian in Charge of Laboratory Animal Care. In September 1961, he was invited to join the Dean’s staff at Ohio State University, College of Medicine as Director of Animal Laboratories and Assistant Professor of Veterinary Medicine in The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine. He served at Ohio State University until retirement on June 30, 1988.

Alden remained active in the US Army Reserve from the time of relief from active duty thru all relocations and assignments until mandatory retirement Feb. 8, 1984.  He had assignments during these years in the 481st Field Artillery, the 83rd Infantry Division Artillery with appointment as Intelligence Officer for the Division Artillery staff and as Commander of the 28th Field Artillery Battalion.  With the deactivation of the 83rd Division, he served as Operations Officer for the 207th USAR School until appointed as Operations Officer for the 83rd US ARCOM which was responsible for the training and direction of all Army Reserve Units in Ohio and Kentucky.

In August 1975, Alden was appointed Deputy Commander of the 83rd ARCOM and promoted to Brigadier General in February 1976.  He was appointed Commanding General on June 1, 1978, and promoted to Major General on February 8, 1979.  He completed that 4 year command term on June 1, 1982 and was mandatorily retired on February 8, 1984.  Among his awards and decorations are the Combat Infantry Badge, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Ribbon with Medal Pendant and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

During Alden’s service in the Philippine Islands in September 1945, he had the surprise pleasure of meeting his father, Lt. Colonel Alden E. Stilson, who was on his way home after service in the Pacific Theater for over 2-1/2 years.  Father and son were able spend 3 days together in the newly freed city of Manila.  During service in the Korean War, Alden quite unexpectedly met his brother, Lt. Jerry H Stilson, in Japan and then twice in the front lines of Korea.  In fact, they were able to be together Christmas Eve 1952, just behind the lines of X Corps, 140th Tank Battalion where Jerry was a company commander.  Alden and Jerry were each relieved of their respective combat assignments on August 3, 1953 and left Inchon, Korea for home on the same ship.

Alden was trained to play the bagpipes by two successive Pipe Majors of the 2nd Battalion 42 Highland Blackwatch, British Army.  In turn, he raised and trained a band known as the Buckeye Scottish Pipes and Drums and the ROTC Detachment of Ohio State University from 1966 thru 1971.

Alden had a basic love for farming and raising cattle and horses.  He took great interest in the Herford cattle herd on his father’s farm and later he and his wife, Virginia, established Braeburn Farm near Johnstown Ohio.  There they operated a thoroughbred nursery from 1977–1999.  Alden rode with the Rocky Fork Hunt for 18 years.  He also had a great interest in HO scale model railroading.  He was a former member of the Columbus Model Railroad Club and The Columbus Rotary Club.  Alden was a member of American Legion Post 254 in Johnstown and Post 398 in Granville, Ohio.  Alden was proud to be an American, a Republican and FOX News supporter.

In lieu of flowers, please send any contributions to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517
Topeka, Kansas 66675 or to the Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002.  Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.

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