Beloved husband and father, Donald Steven Stanek, 85, of Raleigh, North Carolina, peacefully passed into his eternal home on March 15, 2019 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Charlotte; daughter, Dr. Danielle Stanek, of Tallahassee, Florida; son, Michael Stanek, of Ramrod Key, Florida; son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Gregory and Michelle Stanek, of St. Petersburg, Florida; son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Elizabeth Stanek, and their children Alex, Riley, Sam, Lily & Ruby, of Apex, North Carolina; special cousins Gail and Tom Nedlik of Appalachian, New York; Bonnie Hartman, of North Attleboro, Massachusetts; Ritch and Judy Terboss, of Coral Springs, Florida; brother, Douglas and his wife Cindy, of Rochester, New York; nephew, Eric; and nieces, Kathy, Sheila and Kimberly of New York.
Don was an exceptional gentleman, known by his wonderful smile and good nature. He was an avid fisherman who loved the outdoors, catching numerous varieties of fish from bass to wahoo, but his favorite was catching trout in streams in upstate New York. Don loved dogs, especially beagles, which he raised as a young man. But Jake, who was a rescued mix, was his faithful fishing companion who fished with him in his last years before going into Alzheimer care.
Don was born in Oneonta, New York and grew up in Binghamton, New York, where he worked as a mechanical engineer at GAF and then IBM. After being transferred to Boca Raton, Florida and then Raleigh, North Carolina he spent his final 31 years in Raleigh.
A memorial service will be held at 3 P.M., Friday, March 22, 2019 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home on 1701 E. Millbrook Road in Raleigh with Steven Zundel officiating. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to Dementia Alliance of North Carolina.
For Visitor's from out of town, The Courtyard by Mariott on Sumner Blvd has a block of 10 rooms available for $100 per night from this Wednesday to Sunday. The location is convenient for visiting the family and attending services at the Funeral Home. The hotel's phone number is (919) 645-0088
