Stanley Duane Roberts

Stanley Roberts went to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 2 surrounded by his loving family. Stan bravely fought the challenging affects of pancreatic cancer since his diagnosis in September 2013. His quality of life was remarkably good until the past three months when his lungs began to fail him as a result of irreversible damage from the chemotherapy.

Born in Toppenish, Washington on April 12, 1941 to Marjorie and Stanley Roberts, Stan grew up on a farm near Harrah with his three brothers, Dick, Roger, and Randy, and his sister, Ginger. After graduating from White Swan High School in 1959, he attended Central Washington University on a music scholarship. Stan was an accomplished musician and won many awards playing his saxophone in competition at the Capital Theatre in Yakima and statewide. He later transferred to Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho, where he graduated with a BA in Business Administration in 1967. Some of Stan’s fondest memories were when he traveled with a male vocal and saxophone quartet the summer before his senior year recruiting for Northwest Nazarene University. While attending college in Nampa, Stan met the love of his life, Connie Russell, and they married on June 1, 1968 and made their home in Yakima where their two daughters were born.

Stan began his 38-year banking career in Yakima at National Bank of Commerce in 1967 and was transferred to Ellensburg in 1973 to be a commercial loan officer at Rainier National Bank. Beginning in 1990, he commuted to Yakima for 5 years to be branch manager for Yakima Valley Bank and returned to Ellensburg in 1995 when West One Bank acquired Yakima Valley Bank. After experiencing a number of bank mergers, Stan retired from Bank of the West in 2006.

As a member of the morning Kiwanis Club, Stan served as treasurer for over 15 years. He was also treasurer for the Salvation Army for many years. Stan had a significant positive impact on the Ellensburg community.

Much of the family’s life was spent camping, skiing, traveling and gardening. While camping, they enjoyed motorcycle trail riding when the girls were young and later became avid downhill skiers. Stan enjoyed ski vacations to Sun Valley and many ski resorts in Canada. Upon retirement, Stan and Connie became active in the Ellensburg Convertible Club and took many fun trips in their red Crossfire. They traveled extensively and their last big trip was a Mediterranean Cruise with land excursion to Rome, Florence, and Venice, Italy. Stan was passionate about gardening and nurtured 50 rose bushes annually. You could usually find him working in his yard with his headphones on listening to southern gospel music or working on a project in his shop. He was a handyman extrodinaire and could fix anything. Stan’s highest priorities were God and family. He lived his life by Christian principles and demonstrated love and kindness. He was a devoted husband, terrific father/ father-in-law to Heather, Chad and Juli, and loving grandfather to Keala (17), Kekoa (14), and Karley (10). He will be dearly missed.

Stan leaves behind a legacy of family memories and love. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Connie; two daughters, Heather Hamasaki and Julianne Roberts; son-in-law, Chad Hamasaki; three grandchildren, Keala and Kekoa Hamasaki and Karley Roberts; his three brothers, Richard (Dick) Roberts (Cheryl), Roger Roberts, Randy Roberts (Liz); his sister, Ginger Nelson (David); and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, maternal grandparents, Mack Duff and Geralda June Knight, and paternal grandparents, Henry Milton and Frances Henrietta Roberts.

Services will be held at the Ellensburg Presbyterian Church on Friday, April 15 at 11:00 a.m. Viewing will be Thursday evening, April 14 from 5 to 8 at Steward and Williams Tribute Center.