Stanley Dutton Willis

Stanley was my grandmother's cousin but was born the same year as my mother, Ann Nugent Butler. My mother and Stanley were very close so consequently cousin Stanley was always in my life. After my mother passed in 2001 I communicated more frequently with Stanley, to honor their friendship and in memory of my mother. Stanley was a big encouragement to my art and I always enjoyed talking with him and visiting when I could. He was the one who could connect all the dots in the family stories. He...

This is Robert Ward writing again. I wrote a message on my phone first. I didn't notice that the message would delay 24 hours before posting. I hadn't filled in my details of name and email, and when I didn't see the post, I though it must have been deleted, so I wrote another message, much the same as the first. Please choose whichever one you deem the better, if you would. Thank you for the understanding.

Stanley Willis was my cousin and although I always referred to him as Uncle Stanley, he was my godfather. He was very devoted to his first cousin, my mother, Nancy Jane Cramer Ward, and our family. My parents impressed upon me as a child that I had this special relation in life, and I was very touched to know that there was significant presence out there in the world for me. Stanley took his role to heart, and generously and consistently showed up for me in his kind and caring manner...

Stanley was a member of my family for thirty years - a generous, gentle man. I valued his history lessons, his insistence on the use of proper grammar, and - for many years - the gift of his annual Christmas poems. May he rest in peace after a long life well-lived.

Cousin Stanley, my mother's cousin and the last of his generation, was a lovely guy, a devoted family archivist, a loving son. I will miss him and his many family stories. He passed along to me many family memories, artifacts, and documents. And I have a wonderful collection of his poems. He lived a long and giving life. And he was ready to go. Still, sad to lose him.

A great teacher and a better individual. Time spent in his classroom and later years after STA are cherished memories of simply getting through classes such as his. Life lessons all, with enormous smiles.