Stanley Lowell Aydt

Stanley Aydt was born on February 17th, 1941 to Charles "Cy" Leonard Aydt and Mary Rado DeWitt Aydt (Travelstead). As a child, he worked in the family's grocery store where he learned the wrapping skills that made all his presents look like someone had wrapped a pound of hamburger in colorful paper. Stan also worked at the family-run movie theater, where he popped popcorn, while his sisters and brother sold tickets and ran the projector. He graduated from Dahlgren High School in 1959 and followed his brother Roger and sister Wilma to attend Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Stan was a serious student who valued his education, despite having rambunctious friends, whose idea of a good time was loading Stan's toaster with firecrackers and heating their hot dogs in his teakettle. While Stan had a good sense of humor, he liked things to be done in an orderly manner, which often led to him being an easy target for such antics.
When he wasn't studying engineering, Stan loved to go dancing to live bands at places like Junior Hatchett's in Colp, Illinois, which was one of the few integrated dance clubs in the area at that time. In October 1961, he went on a fateful double date to Junior's. On that night, he did not make a connection with his own date, but offered her a ride home, along with driving home the other young woman, Judy, and her date. Judy had not hit it off with the man she was set up with, but she was intrigued by Stan's sense of style. She recalled he was more dressed up than his peers, wearing a fedora hat, a long wool coat, and a suit. She left behind her gloves in Stan's car, providing opportunity to talk to the handsome young man again. When Stan got Judy's number from a mutual friend, Steve, Stan called Judy to arrange the return of the gloves and the two began dating.
Stan and Judy married on July 7th, 1962. Stan dropped out of college and worked at the Illinois State Highway Department as a draftsman to support Judy, while she finished her undergraduate degree in French with a secondary concentration in Spanish and gave birth to their oldest daughter, Kirsten. Once Judy graduated with her bachelor's degree, she supported them with a graduate teaching assistantship and Stan returned to school, switching his major to elementary education. After some discussion with Judy and his sister Wilma, Stan was convinced that a career in education would provide more opportunities to spend time with family, especially during the summer months.
Stan completed his bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and he and Judy moved to Dixon, Illinois, where he taught at an elementary school for two years and they had their second child, Nicole. Stan and Judy then returned to Carbondale, where he went on to get a master's degree in Instructional Materials, which focused on providing educational support through audio/visual means. Stan got a job as a high school librarian at Marion High School, the job that he would keep until his retirement. A few years after returning to Carbondale, Stan and Judy's third daughter, Hilary, was born.
Stan loved taking his time and enjoying the little things. Being a librarian suited him to a T. One of the things that he was known for was his legendary system for disposing of trash, with one "large/dry" can and one "small/wet" can. He also loved to take time savoring his favorite foods, often slowly working his way through pretzels or a bit of dark chocolate.
Each summer he would load up the family car and would take the family camping in various state and national parks. The family camped all over the United States and Canada throughout the years. He also enjoyed activities such as cycling, fishing, and was an early adopter of home computing as well. He volunteered with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Carbondale and the Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center. Stan adored his family, especially his wife, Judy. He constantly expressed his love of her, and she supported him through a variety of challenges including him surviving stage 4 appendix cancer and being diagnosed with dementia.
In his last few years, although his memory was unreliable, Stan always recognized his loved ones. Thanks to hospice care, he was able to die at home on May 13th, 2025, after a short illness, with his family and his dog by his side. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in his honor to the National Parks Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, or the Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center. A memorial service is planned for Sunday, June 15th, 2025 at 3pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Carbondale, IL and will be livestreamed.
Stan was preceded in death by both his parents, brother Roger, and sisters Wilma and Audrey and their husbands. His brother Roger's wife, Barbara Aydt, survives. He is also survived by his wife Judy, daughter Kirsten Miller and her husband Tom Miller of Moscow, Idaho, daughter Nicole Klein and husband Steve Klein of Edwardsville, Illinois, and daughter Hilary Aydt and her wife Jak Petzold of Bloomington, Indiana.
He leaves behind 12 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren: Kirsten and Tom Miller's children and grandchildren, Rita and husband Jake Joiner of Moscow, Idaho and their children Jubilee, Thomas, Rose, Paul, Beatrice, Abigail, Peter, James, Susanna and Marie; Christopher Miller and wife Lizze, of Des Moines, Iowa and their children, Caleb, Michael, Nathan, Alice and Patrick; Matthew Miller and wife Angie, of Moscow, Idaho, and their children, Phoebe, Max, Jude, Simon, Asher, and Owen; Naomi Tate and husband Philip, of Moscow, ID and their children, Audrey, Eleanor, Benjamin and William; Sarah Rapp and husband Joseph, of Huntsville, Alabama and their daughter Chloe; Nathan Miller and wife Elli, of Moscow, Idaho and their son, Daniel; Louisa Benard and husband Ethan, of Moscow, Idaho and Tabitha Miller, of Moscow, Idaho; Nicole and Steve Klein's children, Daniel Klein and his partner Madison Haerr, of Edwardsville, Illinois, and Ian Klein of Raleigh, North Carolina; Hilary Aydt and Jak Petzold's children, Rado Aydt and Harvey Aydt of Bloomington, Indiana.