Sidney Hillman Stapleton Jr., 85, of Mocksville, died February 11, 2026.

He was born January 3, 1941, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sid lived with a restless curiosity and a storyteller's instinct, always looking beyond the surface and toward the horizon. From an early age, he was drawn to the edges of experience, where life turned into narrative. He rarely answered a question with a sentence; there was always a story before the answer. That instinct shaped both his career and his relationships.

Sid built a professional life spanning journalism, photography, and authorship. He was a special correspondent for People magazine in its early years, when the publication focused on extraordinary ordinary lives, a perspective that suited him well. He had a gift for finding what was compelling in a person or place and telling it with clarity and respect.

Over time, his work centered more on boating and seamanship. For more than three decades, he wrote about life on the water. Among his many roles, he served as a contributing editor to Motor Boating & Sailing, where he authored the magazine's "Seamanship" and "Boat Handling" columns and often supplied the photography himself. Many of his features grew out of the 15,000-mile voyage he and his wife, Anne, made from Maine to Alaska through the Panama Canal aboard their 49-foot Grand Banks, American Odyssey. He didn't write from theory. He wrote from the wheel.

He also authored several respected books, including Stapleton's Powerboat Bible, Stapleton's Power Cruising Bible, and Emergencies at Sea, part of Chapman's Nautical Guides. These practical guides were shaped by miles at sea and hard-won lessons. His writing was direct and thorough, grounded in preparation and a belief that the horizon was something to meet, not just admire.

No accomplishment mattered more to him than his wife and daughters. When asked what mattered most, he answered without hesitation: "his girls."

He had a rumbly, infectious laugh and an elegant Georgian drawl that drew people in. Whether at a royal feast in Jordan, the Victoria Falls Hotel lounge or on a back deck at home, people gravitated toward him. He loved an audience, but more than that, he loved connection.

A serial entrepreneur, he took creative risks, from starting magazines to bold adventures at sea. He brought the same grace and vigor to a banking article as to a boating feature.

Sid was preceded in death by his parents, Ethelyn and Sidney Hillman Stapleton Sr.; his sister, Shirley Stapleton Pullen; and his first wife, Janice Ann Day, the mother of his children.

He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Anne Stapleton; his daughters, Correy "Cokey" Stapleton, Paige Stapleton (Brian Stark), and Tracey Dolsen (Gary); his cherished grandchildren, Cody Jacob, Kyle Brady (Allison Smith), Chance Jacob (Lindsey Coleman), Jeremiah Daniel "JD" Jacob (Kara), Alexandra "Alexis" Gómez (Brandley), and Wesley Dolsen; and his great-grandchildren, Amalia Coleman, Olive Jacob, Fred Coleman, Aurora Coleman, and Sebastian Gómez.

He also leaves behind the extended Smith family, who welcomed him as one of their own: Danny Smith (Vicki) and Beth Walters (Wayne).

There will be no public services.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Humane Society of Davie, 162 Webb Way, Advance, NC 27006, or that a tree be planted in Sid's memory.

He spent his life believing there was always another story to tell, and he leaves behind a wake that continues to move long after the boat has passed.

Online condolences www.lambertfuneralhomenc.com