Lake Oswego

Nov. 18, 1942 — April 22, 2020

Christopher “Chris” Kent Stangland was born in Astoria, Oregon, on Nov. 18, 1942, to Arthur and Artie Stangland. He passed away in Portland, Oregon, on April 22, 2020, at age 77.

He attended Astoria High School and the University of Oregon. During summers, he worked on the waterfront as a longshoreman, or in the forest building roads or clearing snags, when both of these industries were thriving on the North Coast. He also served in the Oregon Army National Guard before attending college.

Chris always wanted to be his own boss. Beginning at age 5, selling tickets to the neighborhood kids to see “artifacts” in the family garage, Chris pursued his dream to be a businessman and a creator of ideas and products. Some of these included tea towels, posters, handbags, dolls, Halloween and Christmas decorations, stainless steel pots and pans, yo-yos and Wheaties trophy boxes.

He was selected the Small Businessman of the Year from the state of Oregon for the success of his rubber stamp business, STAMPOS, a pocket stamp with the ink pad in its cap. The business began at the kitchen table and grew to 160-plus employees. He successfully expanded the single stamp into a product line that included alphabet sets, travel games, teaching aids and licensed character stamps.

TreeSmart Industries, a company that makes and sells pencils, pens and rulers made from recycled materials is his current enterprise. We wonder if there’s significance to Chris’s passing on Earth Day 2020.

He was an active participant in the Boy Scouts, helping to guide many young men, including his two sons, to their Eagle Scout Award. He was inspired by this experience to continue hiking with fellow dads he had met during these scouting years.

Yearly trips to wilderness areas around America eventually prepared them to tackle the last 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Their hikes also included the Lost Coast Trail, where they impressed a small group of Navy Seals they encountered during that hike. Chris’s ultimate goal was to hike the beginning 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. He wanted that “book end” accomplishment once he was well again.

In addition to his wife of 45 years, Sue, he is also survived by his two sons, Robb, who lives in Portland, and Scott, who lives in New York City; sister, Saradell Poddar; brother, Tom Stangland; niece, Amanda Reed (John); and nephew, Douglas Stangland (Lucianne).

A celebration of life will be planned later this year.