Daniel Warwick Stanley

Born on April 25, 1921, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Annie Laurie Langford Stanley, and William Warwick Stanley, Dan grew up in the Tampa, Florida area. He attended high school in Hillsborough County, graduating in 1938. While living in Jacksonville with his cousin’s family, he volunteered to work for free at the Glidden Paint store. (Glidden was later acquired by the Sherwin Williams Company.) When the store’s District Manager visited, he immediately hired him, with back pay. Dan loved sports and swimming and also joined the Jacksonville Beach Volunteer Life Saving Corp. There he served as the Commodore of the Summer Class of 1941.

Later in 1941, Dan enlisted in the US Navy and was assigned to Construction Battalion 31, a Seabee battalion, as a Chief Boatswain’s Mate. After deployment to Bermuda and Hawaii, the 31st was attached to the 5th Marine Division, which headed to Iwo Jima, in the South Pacific. The Marines and Seabees stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. Dan stayed on the island for nine months and when his tour of duty was complete, he shipped back to the US, and very soon after, married the love of his life, Meta.

Dan returned to work for Glidden, but eventually through acquisitions, he worked for the Sherwin Williams Company until he retired in 1986. Throughout his career he was greatly respected and appreciated by both his employers and employees and influenced the lives of so many at Sherwin Williams as a mentor and a friend. After retirement he stayed very active and worked well into his 90’s as a leader within the Sherwin Williams retirees organization.

Dan and Meta were married for 73 years, and had 6 children. Their faith played an instrumental part in their day to day lives, impacting all of their relationships, whether it was family, friends, church and community members, or those they got to know during their travels. Dan served in many leadership positions within his church over a period of decades, and supported the work of a number of Christian ministries. Faithful, hard working, generous and supportive, Dan was a servant of God who loved with all his heart.

Dan was predeceased by his wife, Meta, in 2018, and is survived by his children, Claudia Lefkowitz (Bill), Marsha McGugan (Pat), Rick Stanley (Scott Galloway), Andrea Stiggins (Jeff), Mike Stanley (Chasity), Trish Berryman (Peter), as well as his 7 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.