Dwight Stanley

There are many words that friends and family could use to describe Dwight Stanley – fiercely loyal, stubbornly independent, humble, down-to-earth, and compassionate are just a few that come to mind. Above all else, however, there is one word that goes straight to the heart of who Dwight was, and how he lived his life: the word “father.” Dwight loved his son and family deeply, and his goals in life were to provide for his son and to be a good father. Dwight’s strength of character, stoic determination, and selfless commitment to his beloved family stand as a lasting inspiration to all those he leaves behind; he was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed.

For the United States, the 1940s were a decade of both tragedy and celebration, seeing the lifting of the Great Depression as well as the start and end of World War II. Dwight was born in the midst of this historic decade, and was welcomed by his proud parents into the world of Waterbury, Connecticut.

Dwight’s father worked for Horton Mfg. Company (golf clubs and fishing rods) in Bristol, Connecticut and Anaconda American Brass Company in Detroit and Waterbury, Connecticut, while his mother was a homemaker. Dwight was the youngest in the family, and grew up with older brothers Ted and Ken. The Stanley family lived in Bristol until 1951, at which point they relocated to Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Dwight loved sports his entire life, and was a very athletic youngster. His favorite sport as a boy was baseball – he could play all the positions, and threw a mean curve ball. Dwight also enjoyed playing basketball, first on the junior high team, and later in a church league.

After graduating from Grosse Pointe High School in 1962, Dwight went on to Kenyon College in Ohio, where he played on the college’s basketball team. After only a year, however, he was accepted as a transfer student at the University of Michigan. Dwight studied accounting at U of M, and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 1966. He would be a lifelong Michigan fan, but did have some complaints about sporting events at the big house – Dwight was a big, tall guy, and at 12 inches those seats were just too small!

The United States was involved in the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975, and Dwight did his part by joining the reserves. He was assigned to the Southbridge Air Force, and worked as a mechanic on F4 jets.

Later, Dwight would return home to work at Consumers Energy for a few years.

In 1975, Dwight married Suzanne Yapp, and in the following year they were blessed with a son, A.J. Although their marriage ended in divorce shortly thereafter, Dwight was determined to be the provider for his son. After some strenuous events, he became exactly that.

Dwight and A.J. lived for the most part in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Dwight was hired as a financial analyst for the Ford Motor Company, where he would be a loyal employee for almost 30 years. He had a great feel for money – how it worked, how to manage it, and how to make it. Dwight got along well with his co-workers at Ford, and loved playing euchre with his buddies during their lunch break.

In his free time, Dwight enjoyed playing golf, and played all over in various leagues. For Dwight, golf was a way to socialize, and he enjoyed meeting people by playing on different courses. That’s not to say that Dwight didn’t care about the game itself, however – he was a perfectionist in everything he did, and golf was no exception! Dwight was close to a scratch golfer, and even golfed his age a few times. He also had an amazing memory, and could recall every shot and every course he ever played.

A supportive father, Dwight never missed a single one of A.J.’s activities. He also tried to find activities they could do together, and by the time A.J. was five Dwight had already bought him his first set of golf clubs. Dwight and A.J. often went golfing together, and Dwight enjoyed walking the course with A.J. during his high school competitions. They were the team to beat, and always won the father-son tournament throughout A.J.’s high school years. On the weekends, Dwight and A.J. usually took advantage of the snowy weather to go snowmobiling.

All throughout A.J.’s childhood and teenage years, A.J. had been the most important person in Dwight’s life. Later on, A.J.’s wife Katie and their two children, Samantha and Nathan, would find that they had a special place in Dwight’s heart as well. Dwight loved being a grandfather, and wasted no time in buying golf clubs for the grandkids! He enjoyed spending time with the grandkids – just watching them play or do homework was enough to make Dwight happy. Although Dwight wasn’t very expressive, he cared deeply for his family, and everybody knew it. He loved telling his friends how great his son and his son’s family are, and he always kept everything A.J. and the grandkids made for him.

A few years after his retirement in 2006, Dwight moved to Tennessee, where he made many friends and enjoyed playing golf almost everyday. In April of 2010 Dwight was diagnosed with melanoma. However, this didn’t slow him down or prevent him from playing golf and enjoying life his way. He beat the odds by surviving with almost no issues for nearly three years, until eventually cancer caught up with him in January of 2013. When it was sadly clear he couldn’t overcome the cancer, A.J. arranged for Dwight to stay at Faith Hospice Home in Byron Center, Michigan, so that he could be close to his beloved family in his final days.

Humble and compassionate, determined and selfless, Dwight was a devoted father, a loving grandfather, and a loyal friend. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his many friends and family members.

Dwight Stanley died peacefully on March 24, 2013 at Faith Hospice in Byron Center, MI. Learn more about Dwight, visit with his family and friends on Saturday, March 30, 2013 from 1-2 PM at the Life Story Funeral Homes, Betzler – Kalamazoo, 6080 Stadium Drive (375-2900), where services will begin at 2 PM. A reception will follow in the Life Story Center. Dwight’s family includes his son, AJ (Katie) Stanley; 2 grandchildren: Samantha and Nathan; 2 brothers: Ted (Carol) Stanley and Ken (Linda) Stanley; nieces and nephew: Heather (Phillip) Cates, Jennifer (Mike) Lavorel and John Stanley; and several cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents. Please visit Dwight’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo of him and sign his online guestbook before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Beagle Open – the Gary Betzler Memorial Scholarship.