DECEMBER 9, 1935 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2023
Billy Ray Stanley, beloved husband, father, grandfather (“Pagah”), and friend to so many, died unexpectedly on September 1, 2023, at Liberty Hospital after a 12-day stay for pneumonia.
Bill was born on December 9, 1935, to Kelly and Flossie Stanley in Floyd, MO near Orrick in Ray County. Bill grew up on the family farm and often shared many fond memories of his childhood there. After high school graduation in 1953 from Liberty High School, Bill went to work at the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City. It was at the bank that he met and fell in love with his wife, Rosalie Hagg. Bill and Rosie both worked in the FRB Savings Bond Department where Bill later became supervisor. Bill began giving Rosie a ride to work in his 1956 Ford hardtop convertible and that was the beginning of their life long story. The couple married on May 25, 1958.
Bill was drafted into the Army in November 1960 and attended boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and later was assigned to the Missile Command at Ft. Hood, TX, where Rosie joined him. The young couple was later stationed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, CO. In August 1961, Bill received an early-out discharge from the Army to return to the family farm to help his father harvest crops. Afterwards, he resumed his job at the bank in downtown KC. Nine months from the date they moved into a one-room schoolhouse (remodeled by Rosie’s Dad) and where Bill attended as a child, their son, Todd, was born on January 3, 1962. Of all the honors and titles Bill Stanley held throughout his life, “Dad” was his favorite.
In 1964, they bought a home in Kansas City North in a little neighborhood called Sunnybrook, where the Stanleys spent 31 happy years. Todd once wrote that “Sunnybrook was its own little community, where the children were all friends and hung out and played together. The adults were also all friends and hung out and played together.” The memories and friendships that came to be in the little Sunnybrook neighborhood were lifelong… kids and adults alike.
In 1994, Bill retired as Coordinator of Securities Operations from the Federal Reserve Bank after 40+ years and in 1995 he and Rosie moved to a ranch home on 82nd Terrace for 18 years. In September 2013, the couple moved to Wexford Place, a retirement community where they lived for the past 10 years and celebrated their 65th Anniversary. Bill Stanley was friendly, loved to make people laugh, and never met a stranger. A devoted fan of Western movies, Bill’s hero throughout his life was John Wayne and he owned (and watched repeatedly) every movie. A genuinely humble man, what Bill may not have realized was that he was the hero to the family and friends he leaves behind.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Flossie & Kelly Stanley, and father & mother-in-law Jake & Dora Harman. He is survived by his wife, Rosalie Stanley; son Todd Stanley; “chosen family” Melanie, Seth & Rachel Johnson, plus extended family members, Ron Johnson, Cynthia and Joe Burwinkle.
The family would like to thank Dr. Dan Roney and nurse Kelly Jackson, and the Liberty Hospital staff for their dedication in caring for Bill. Visitation will be held on September 15, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. with a Memorial Service to follow at 4:00 at White Chapel Funeral Home, 6600 NE Antioch Road, Gladstone, MO 64119. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to The Alzheimer’s Association, ℅ Wexford Place, 6500 N. Cosby Ave., Kansas City, MO, 64151.
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