Joshua Albert Stanley

Joshua Albert Stanley, my dad, was a wonderful & loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and friend, passed away on July 4, 2017. He was born in Illiopolis, Illinois, on June 6, 1932, and was the fourth of 10 children. Dad grew up on a farm in Illinois and his first job was working for a farmer. His favorite tractor was John Deere’s Poppin’ Johnny. Buying him anything with John Deere on it was a favored gift. Dad loved to talk about his childhood and the fun he had. He attended a one room schoolhouse thru the 8th grade and talked about it often. A favorite story was locking the girls in the outhouse. Stories also included tipping outhouses over, stealing watermelons from the corn fields, and stealing pies cooling on his mom’s window sill. In 1952 he enlisted in the Air Force and married Virginia Elliott at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Decatur, IL. Mom grew up in this church and Dad continued to take her to that church when vacationing in the area. They were married for 65 years and had two children, Marilyn and Mark. He was stationed in Illinois, Hawaii, Delaware, New Jersey, Vietnam, Missouri, and Colorado. Dad went TDY to many other bases including Greenland. He retired after 20 years and then performed maintenance for 7-Eleven stores. Dad was a talented handyman and has lived in Colorado Springs for over 45 years. Dad was extremely proud of being in the Air Force. Tears would be in his eyes when he attended flag ceremonies. He always told me when they were not performed correctly. Vacations to Illinois always included homemade ice cream on multiple nights. Dad and his brothers would turn the crank and the kids took turns sitting on the freezer to keep it from moving. If I wasn’t playing with cousins, I would be hanging out around dad and listening to his stories. He was quiet at home but not in public. When dad was in public, he amazed his family by finding a stranger who either grew up on a farm or had been in the military. His grandkids later added finding someone who had worked for 7-Eleven. His many nieces and nephews remember his stories and joking with him. Dad loved his extended family and started an annual family reunion in Illinois & organized it for many years. He was the life of the party and even danced on tables with strangers. Dad loved his family & friends and was always ready to lend a helping hand. When it snowed he arrived with his snow blower to remove the snow from the driveway and sidewalks at my house. He was willing to help with home repairs and improvements. I could count on him to fix a flat tire. The doorbell would ring and Dad would have just stopped by to say “hi”. As soon as babies reacted with a smile, dad would play with them. He attended his grandchildren’s games, helped teach them to drive, and took them camping in his RV. The grandkids also enjoyed being with him on hunting trips, getting firewood, and chopping down the perfect Christmas tree. He took care of his yard and house. If the weather was nice, I could find him puttering in the yard. During snowstorms in the 1970’s Dad made sure others made it home. He towed many a car uphill with his pickup. After one particularly bad winter storm, he drove to his mother’s apartment, his son’s apartment, and his mother-in-law’s house to make sure they all had groceries and anything else they might need. He leaves behind his loving wife, Virginia; daughter, Marilyn & her husband, Greg; daughter-in-law, Cathy; sister, Sylvia; grandchildren, Steve, Justine, Andrew, Jeremy, & Michelle; great-grandchildren, Joshua & Paige; and many nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son, Mark, and eight of his siblings.