Terry O'Neal Stanley

You knew when he entered a room because suddenly, all the energy flowed his direction. He commanded it with not with force, but by his humor and his classic good looks. He drew you in with stories that were larger than life because he too, was larger than life.

He seemed to have led nine lives in his 82 years.

"He used the whole runway", reflected my brother.

My father's best advice to me was to "simplify, not complicate".

But nothing about my father was simple. T.O. Stanley led an epically complicated life.

When he stepped out into the cosmos late the night of January 13, leaving the constraints of his earthly body behind, there was a shift felt. An instant void.

Terry O'Neal Stanley, or "T.O." to most, was born December 6, 1940 to Joyce (Terry) Stanley and Earl O'Neal Stanley in Big Spring, Texas.

T.O. played virtually every sport available to him and played it masterfully. He drove faster, teed off straighter, dove deeper, hit harder, aimed truer and sat higher in the saddle than most knew possible. He received a baseball scholarship to UNM where he studied art and was scouted by the St. Louis Cardinals for a spell before his mother put her foot down.

Before attending UNM, he took a gap year traveling the world with a dear friend, working their way as they went, living in beautiful, unspoiled places. Their travels were chronicled in the Big Spring Herald utilizing cartoons T.O. drew and mailed home, delighting local readers.

If you knew T.O., you've seen his 1959 World Champion calf-roping belt buckle, he was a proud horseman.

T.O. moved to El Paso, Texas in the late 1970's and there he remained. At one point he was voted one of El Paso's "Most Eligible Bachelors".

T.O. loved living big, being the life of the party and was always ready to spin a good yarn about his notorious adventures and acquaintances.

Owner of T.O. Stanley Boots, he designed and made boots for a list of familiar names such as; former President George W. Bush, Eric Clapton, Johnny Carson, John Denver, Clint Eastwood, Wayne Gretzky, Merle Haggard, George Strait, George Lucas and Priscilla Presley to name a few. Many of whom became dear friends. T.O. considered himself a Bootmaker above all things.

T.O. was preceded in death by his father, Earl O'Neal, mother, Joyce, sister, Chere, and brother, John Patrick.

He is survived by his daughter, Kara (Stanley) Chilleri-Davis of Granbury, TX, his son, Todd Stanley of Colorado, his grandson, Dominik Chilleri of Kerrville, TX, his grandson, John Chilleri of Livermore, CA, his grandson, Bohde Davis of Granbury, TX, and his great-granddaughter, Rylee Chilleri of Kerrville, TX.

Our family welcomes donations to the Dementia Society of America or Los A?os Dorados Assisted Living Facility in El Paso as an expression of sympathy.