William Shirley Stancil

William Shirley Stancil
William Shirley Stancil, age 90, died peacefully in his sleep in the presence of his family on Sunday, August 20, 2006, at Presbyterian Harris Hospice Center. A service to celebrate his life will be 1:00 PM Wednesday, August 23, 2006, in the Dilworth Chapel of Hankins & Whittington with Dr. David Stancil officiating and assisted by Dr. Wayne Poplin. Interment will be private in Sharon Memorial Park. The family will receive friends following the service.
Born July 20, 1916, in Garner, NC, Mr. Stancil was the fifth and last surviving child of the late David Henry Stancil and Agnes Young Stancil, having been preceded in death by a sister, Mildred Stancil Hocutt and brothers Wade, Ryburn and Hadley Stancil.
Mr. Stancil was a graduate of King's Business College and attended North Carolina State University where he met Annie Lee Tarleton, who was attending Meredith College. They married in 1942 and would have celebrated their 65th anniversary on October 20th. Mr. Stancil served in the United States Coast Guard during World Ward II and was stationed in Norfolk, VA. After the war, the Stancils moved to Raleigh, NC, where he became a partner in the Brooks Recreation Center. On February 21, 1949, along with team-mate, Leslie Mincey, Mr. Stancil set the Duckpin bowling world record with a score of 6,352 in a 25 game set, a record which stood for ten years. In 1951, Mr. Stancil began a long and distinguished career with Friden, Inc. Initially serving as a sales representative in Raleigh, NC, Mr. Stancil and his family transferred to Washington, DC, in 1955, later moving to Charlotte, NC, where he became branch manager and was named the 1965 Manager of the Year. After also serving as a Friden branch manager in Oakland, California and as regional manager in Atlanta, GA, he and his family moved back to Charlotte, NC, where in 1974, Mr. Stancil, along with Kenneth Johnson and Thomas Guiles, co-founded an office equipment supply company, Benchmark Business Systems, later known as Network Data Systems.
Mr.Stancil embraced and enjoyed life fully and his interests were diverse. His love of travel took him to such varied places as China, Portugal, Alaska, England and the United Arab Emirates. He was a wood worker who enjoyed crafting furniture, frames and toys in a workshop which he dug out and outfitted himself in the crawlspace of his home. Every family member owns and uses a special wooden jelly bean dispenser which he built and which he and his wife, Annie Lee, have kept faithfully filled over the years. He loved the game of golf and played weekly into his late 70's. Into his 80's, Mr. Stancil was a Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteer who was often called from his home in the middle of the night to help provide emergency assistance to families who had experienced a house fire or weather disaster. He loved technology and in his later years enjoyed working on his computer; he was surely one of a few octogenarians who used instant messaging to stay in touch with his family. And he never never turned down a bowl of ice cream.
He is survived by his wife, Annie Lee Tarleton Stancil; daughter and son-in-law, Aggie and Gary Niess of Charlotte, NC; son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Heather Stancil of Belmont, NC; grandchildren, Ty Niess and his wife, Mollie, of Denver, Colorado, Matt Niess and his wife, Sarah, of Charlotte, NC, Meredith Niess of Chapel Hill, NC, Will and Benn Stancil of Belmont, NC; and great-grandchild, Duncan Niess of Denver, Colorado. He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Mrs. Sue Stancil of Memphis, TN; and nephews, Daniel Stancil and wife, Kathy, and Dr. David Stancil and wife, Jill.
Mr. Stancil dearly loved his family and was immensely proud of both his children and grandchildren. And while greatly saddened by the loss of our husband, father and grandfather, the family is forever grateful for and will always cherish and honor the memory of his example of a long life well-lived, a life characterized by honesty, generosity and kindness. He was truly a gentleman and we will love and miss him the rest of our days. Mr. Stancil's grandchildren will serve as honorary Pallbearers.
Memorials may be made to: The American Red Cross, Greater Carolinas Chapter-Charlotte, 2425 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28203 (or donate online at (http://www.redcrosshelps.org/ donation/donation.aspx) or to Carmel Baptist Building Fund, 1145 Pineville-Matthews Road, Matthews, NC 28105.