A memorial service for Ken Stanford, vice president and general manager of JN Automotive Group, and patron to the Navy and its sailors, will be held Thursday on the fantail of the battleship USS Missouri.

Stanford died Friday. He was 63.

The 6 p.m. memorial service is open to the public. Access to Ford Island will be available with photo ID.

Retired Navy Capt. Kraig Kennedy, the former commanding officer of the Pearl Harbor Naval Station, recalled the Navy-sponsored hydroplane races in Pearl Harbor suffering from a lack of financial support in the 1990s.

Stanford "walked up with a whole pot of money and said, 'I want to sponsor it for two years,' " Kennedy said.

"It became clear how much Ken was interested in helping the sailors," Kennedy said. "On occasion, he would call just to ask me how he could help in other ways. He always had a significant sense of patriotism, and he wanted to be part of it. This was his way."

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be sent to: Assets School, 1 Ohana Nui Way (HAFB), Honolulu, HI 96818, or, USO Hawai'i, 355 Mamiya Ave., Building 2028, Hickam Air Force Base, HI, 96853.

Questions about the service can be directed to Judy Pryor at JN Automotive, 831-2570.