Rod Stubblefield was born on September 18, 1932, in Fresno, CA, to Maurine Weiland who was widowed before his birth. He was adopted by Claude Stubblefield after Claude married Rod's mother Maurine. Rod attended Fresno High School and graduated in 1950, where he excelled at football, baseball and student government. He then attended Fresno State College from 1951 to 1954, where he lettered in football and joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. Rod loved Fresno State and was a member and a trustee of the Bulldog Foundation for over 50 years. Rod joined the United States Naval Reserve in January, 1951, as a Seaman Recruit while attending Fresno State and was commissioned as an Ensign in August of 1954. He was trained in explosive ordinance disposal, scuba diving, deep sea diving, as well as, atomic, biological, chemical, and nuclear warfare and terrorist insurgency. Rod served his active duty aboard the USS Kearsarge. He earned the rank of Captain and served his country for a total of 61 years including 39 years as the Central Valley Blue and Gold officer for the U.S. Naval Academy. He married Carol Longueville on December 6, 1959, and they had two sons, Tim and Curtis. Carol was a loving and devoted wife and they enjoyed their lives in Fresno. She cared for him until his passing. Rod's professional career was as a financial planner and agent with New York Life for 60 years where he worked at one time with his father, brother, and son. Rod loved his family, friends, pets, career, university and the U.S. Navy. His dedication and spirit will be sorely missed. He was preceded in death by his father Claude; mother Maurine; in-laws, Arthur and Kathyrn Longueville; son, Tim Stubblefield; and nephew, Brett Stubblefield. He is survived by his wife Carol; son and daughter-in-law, Curtis and Shannon; grandchildren, Tori and Nick; his brother Den and his wife Sandy; brother-in-law, Ward Longueville; nieces, Becky, Sharon and Jayne; and nephew, Tres. A Memorial Service will be held at Northwest Church, 5415 N. West Avenue, Fresno, CA, on West and Barstow Avenues, on Tuesday, December 6, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to the Fresno State Bulldog Foundation; or the Valley Animal Center. Whitehurst, Sullivan, Burns and Blair Funeral Home, 1525 East Saginaw Way, Fresno, California (559)227-4048