Jimmy Dale Stanley Sr.

Jimmy Dale Stanley Sr., 90, has joined many family members and his Savior in God’s Heavenly Kingdom. Jim passed peacefully at his home in Mesa, AZ on November 28th as we joked and caroused while sharing stories of his life.

Born August 4th, 1931, in Tulsa, OK, Jim lived his life to the full. Way too smart for formal education, Jim entered the workforce around 16 or 17 years of age. While a full list of his positions and accomplishments are more numerous than we can recount, suffice it to say…it was a shitload!

He sold garbage disposals and televisions and washing machines and CB radios and…well…a bunch of stuff. He raced cars, he raced snow machines, he sold snow machines. He drove a truck, he delivered mail, he sold some more stuff, he built houses, and he moved. Man he moved. 24 addresses since 1959. He flew a plane, he fished commercially, he panned for gold, he owned a travel agency and an auto shop. And he moved. And sold more stuff. Oh. He also fancied himself a magician. He knew some wonderful card tricks. And some really crappy hidden…things…tricks.

Jim loved cars. He loved the classics and he loved restoring them to their former glory. He had a number of cars displayed in shows. He built kit cars to display in shows. He not only knew how to make them look good, he knew how to make them run. However, most of the time they did run, they didn’t run very well. Jim got them in good enough shape to get one from Point A to Point B. And they often got from Point B back to Point A. We have countless stories of Jim’s troubleshooting expertise. Much of it less than conventional. He loved a lot of makes and models. Chevys and Fords and Dodges. Corvettes and Mustangs and Chargers. But his all time favorite was the family of Peoesis.

He married the love of his life, Billie Margaret Wallace, on July 12th, 1958. (Billie is also a girl’s name not uncommon in that generation.) He and “That Little Gal” recently celebrated their 63rd Anniversary.

Billie survives Jim, as do his daughters Gale Dean (apparently, also a girl’s name) Chiesa (KEY-eh-suh) (Italian for “church”) and husband George of Tucson, AZ; Tamela Ann (also the name of a boat Jim sawed in half) (Tammy) Defilippis and husband Joe (AKA, “The son Dad never had.”) of Mesa, AZ; son Jimmy Dale (Bink…think pacifier) Stanley Jr. and wife Lorrie of Gilbert, AZ and daughter-in-law Jodette Suzette Stanley of Brookeland, TX.

He is also survived by about five granddaughters; Jennifer Hartman and her son Loris (from the name of Italian city Laurentum, a symbol of victory, fame, honor and accomplishment…which is damn good for Loris!) Norella, of Carbondale, PA; Cara (Carabelle, Carabou, Carousel, Cara Cara) Defilippis and her fiancé James (Jim) Stanek, of St. John’s, OR; Brooklynne (Brooke) Craig (also a first name), her husband Chad and their sons Easton (E, E-man, East, Easter, Boy-Boy) and Cooper (Coop, Cooperman, Coop-Coop) (note the sports equipment theme), of Gilbert, AZ; Brittani (Britt) McCulloch, her husband Brandon, their daughter Avalyn (Ava, Ava girl, Ava J, AJ) and son Atticus (Atty, Attaboy, Atty Bear, AJ), of Twin Peaks, CA; and Dakota (Kodi, Kody, Koda, Koda Bear, Koda Chrome) Devries, her husband Michael, their daughter Madison (Maddy, Mad Dog, 20/20) and son Mason (Mase, Jar), of Huntington, TX.

Jim is survived by two grandsons; Joe (Joey, Joe-Joe) Defilippis and his…partner…Tammara (Tammy) Lahmann (no pressure guys), of Albany, OR; Tyler (T-bone, Tyrone, Ty-Ty) Stanley and his way-the-hell-out-of-his-league wife Morgan, of Etoile, TX. Morgan claims Lufkin however. You’ll have to ask them.

Oh, the Joe and Tammy who live in Mesa are different from the Joe and Tammy who live in Albany. The former are the parents of the latter.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Leo Wade Stanley and Grace Erma McFarland (Cook) and Grace’s husband Uncle Charlie (Ours…not hers. Wait, he wasn’t our uncle. Oh well.); his brothers Carol Wade Stanley and William (Bill) Clayton Stanley. And last year, Jim’s son beat him to the ultimate prize. On February 10th, Timothy Keith (Tim) Stanley passed—also with family surrounding him.

Jim loved all of these people. Some more than others. But, make no mistake, Jim’s favorite “person” on the planet, was his buddy, Buddy. His “Little Yorkie Mutt” wasn’t really a Yorkie. But, he gave Jim unconditional (as long as he was fed) love and an excitement for life that…frankly, none of the rest of us could. But, it wasn’t like we didn’t try to lick Jim’s face.

Jim Stanley will be missed by many. He was dearly loved and everyone who came into contact with him, has a “Jim Stanley” story. And their life is better for it.