John C. Stanley

John Charles Stanley, 68, of Norwood, MA, passed away peacefully in his home on February 2, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. John grew up in Braintree, MA and graduated from Braintree High School. He went on to study at Eastern Nazarene College, graduating in 1977, and attended graduate school at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, where he later became a historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg. John retired from Computershare in Canton, MA and previously taught at Hyde Park Academy in Hyde Park, MA and worked at J.L. Hammett Educational Supply in Braintree. In his retirement, he was an Educator at Old North Church in Boston.

John was a wonderful and loving husband, father, brother, and uncle, and treasured his extended family. He was a caring and loyal friend to many. He had a great love and belief in keeping family connected, enjoying celebratory gatherings, and vacationing at Chase’s Ocean Grove in Dennis Port, MA, and the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York State. He was committed to preserving the remembrance of family and spent many hours researching and documenting family history, including time spent collecting, collating, and publishing photos, letters, and written and oral accounts of the history of the USS Herndon, the WWII destroyer on which his father served as Chief Yeoman. All of this intersected with his general love of history. A member of Eastern Nazarene’s inaugural varsity cross-country team, John took a lifelong interest in running. He also enjoyed a good round of golf (especially the annual Nendza ADK Invitational) and was a lover of all sports in general – as a participant, spectator, or coach for his children. John loved watching the Celtics with his family and spending time with his goldendoodle Avery. He was a beloved and active member of Grace Episcopal Church in Norwood. Over the years he managed the Grace Family Fair, the annual Christmas Tree Sale, and most recently he cultivated the development of a Food Forest and efforts to create a pollinator-welcome environment.

John is pre-deceased by his parents Robert and Charlotte Stanley of Braintree, MA. He is survived by his wife of 33 years Karen (Nendza) Stanley; his children Sarah Catherine of Allentown, PA, John Robert and Ryan Christian, both of Norwood; siblings Jane Stanley (Eric Weaver) of Williamsburg, VA, Ellen Stanley (John Ebersole) of Natick, MA, and Peter Stanley (Mary) of Worcester, MA; father-in-law Richard Nendza of Syracuse, NY; and in-laws Christine Nendza (Donald Verrette) of Cleveland, NY, Mary Cortes (Leo) of Arnold, MD, Monica Nendza of Watertown, MA, and Richard J. Nendza (Kristen) of Walpole, MA, along with several nieces and nephews.

Visiting Hours will be held in the Gillooly Funeral Home, 126 Walpole Street, NORWOOD on on Friday February 9, from 4-8 PM. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Grace Episcopal Church, 150 Chapel Street, Norwood on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Interment will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in John’s name to one of the following organizations:

American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org)

Native Plant Trust https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/

Grow Native Massachusetts https://grownativemass.org/