Stanley Flak

Stanley F. Flak Jr, affectionately known to all as Papa, was welcomed into heaven by the love of his life Barbara Ann and his grandson Brian on Dec. 28, 2025. He was 87 years old.
Stanley was the eldest of four children born to Stanley and Irene Flak on May 15, 1938. He was raised on Cleveland's west side and as a teenager moved to Parma where he graduated from Parma Senior High School. Stan served his country in the US Air Force and spent his years stationed in Oklahoma, Japan, Korea, and Hawaii. Upon returning to Ohio he entered an apprenticeship with IBEW Local 38. It was during his apprenticeship that he met and fell in love with Barbara Ann Arena. They wed in 1966 and were inseparable until her passing in 2013.
Stan and Barb began their life together in Parma, OH. In 1972 they purchased a plot of land in Granger Twp. It was there where they would go on to build a home and move their young family into in1976. For several years, Stan and Barb were the proprietors of Granger Auto Parts, a Napa store on Rt. 18 in Medina. The store was run by Barb and her brother Russell Arena. Stan continued his work as an electrician for Local 38 out of Cleveland. In 1990, Stan went to work as an electrician with the City of Cleveland Water Department. After retiring in 2000 he kept busy with electrical odd jobs whenever called upon, spent his days tinkering around his property, and enjoying time with Barb. On any given morning you would find him at Panera in Montrose where he and his "Panera" friends would spend their time solving the problems of the world! On clear summer evenings he could be found enjoying a beer in the driveway with his dear friends John and Karen Bowers.
Stan was the proud father of three children: Michael (Lori) Flak of Georgetown, DE; Sandy (Mark) Montgomery of Akron, OH; and Stanley Joe (Naomi) Flak of Hudson, WI. His children were truly his world and he was so proud of them.
With the birth of his first grandchild Allie, the title of Papa was bestowed upon him. I believe in becoming a grandfather, he found his true calling. In total he welcomed 9 grandchildren: Allison Montgomery (Nickie Myers) of Seattle, WA, Brian Montgomery (deceased), and Amy Montgomery of Seattle, WA; Michael Flak of Philadelphia, PA; William, Keira, and Kristina Flak all of Georgetown, DE; bonus granddaughter Anna Jones of NY; and Evan and Wendy Flak of WI.
After the death of his grandson Brian in 2006, and then his beloved wife, Barbara Ann in 2013, a big part of his heart also died. With his sons and their families out of state, he poured himself into caring for his granddaughters, Allie and Amy. He was involved in many of their activities. He was their chauffeur, fix-it-man, sometimes banker, and their biggest cheerleader! Some of you may not know that he was also very good at styling a perfect ballet bun for his granddaughter Amy! He put many miles on his vehicles driving between Medina, Rootstown, and Kent keeping them on schedule. He was well known and loved by all of their friends who simply referred to him as Papa!
He enjoyed his time with family and friends, he loved listening to music from the 1950's, tinkering in his barn and garage, keeping up his property, enjoying the wildlife (except the raccoons he and the resident raccoons were frequently at odds), and constantly fixing the old Ford tractor (which he purchased used and then personally kept running for over 40 more years, he was very proud of that!) Anyone who knew Stan knows he could fix anything and had a tool for everything!
In his final years, as he slowed down due to illness and an eye injury. He became more dependent on the care and help of his daughter. In 2020 he sold the house and property on Coddingville Rd. in Granger Twp. and moved to Kent to be closer to Sandy and her family. His granddaughter Amy moved in with him while she finished college. (He absolutely loved having a roommate!) In 2023 his family convinced him to build a new home just 5 houses down from Sandy and Mark. Sadly, just 4 months after moving in, he fell ill again and went on to live the rest of his life at Sanctuary Grande in North Canton.
We would like to thank everyone at Sanctuary Grande who took amazing care of dad in the last 2 years of his life; the doctors, nurses, aides, and everyone involved with Summa Hospice for your tender care of dad during his final week on Earth. Your kindness, compassion, humanity, and gentleness mean so much to all of us.
To all who shared in Stan's life, know that he treasured all of you. Dad was so thankful for the life he lived. These last few years, he would remind us that he lived a beautiful and full life and now he just wants to go be with our mom and Brian.
We release you dad. We will miss you greatly, love you forever, and remember all of the love and wisdom you bestowed upon us. Give hugs to mom, Brian and all our loved ones in Heaven.
In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made in Stan's memory to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer at www.alexslemonade.org.