Steven Ross Stanley

Tuesday evening, August 6th, Vinita businessman Steve Stanley peacefully passed from this life. May 3rd, he suffered a serious stroke followed by a heart attack and tried diligently for three months to recover. It was not to be.

Steve was born August 16, 1947, in Claremore to Coy and Waunita (Stookey) Stanley Fair. He was the second of four children from that family. His older sister Pat Stanley Vernon and her husband Ronnie live in Mustang and his younger brother Tom Stanley and wife Carla live in Norman. His younger sister Kathy Stanley McCaig predeceased him in 2011. Her husband Mike lives in the Ft. Smith, AR area, Dorothy Stanley, Steve's Bonus mom, Karen and John Long and Bruce Prince bonus siblings all of Vinita also survive.

Steve is survived by his wife of 57 years, Toni Norton Stanley and their two daughters Stephanie Stanley Emerson and Mamie Stanley all of Vinita. The couple has 8 grandchildren. Jacob (Emma) Shaner of Jersey City, NJ, Alexandra (John) Barker, Benjamin (Aslin) Shaner, Lucas (Kaylee) Shaner, Isaac Shaner, Andrew Shaner, Meredith Shaner and Tess Shaner, all of Utah. They have seven great-grandchildren. Also surviving is Annie, Steve and Toni's beautiful Cocker Spaniel, the boss of the house. There are also many nieces and nephews and a plethora of friends.

When he was a small boy, Steve made an office upstairs in the shop area of Stanley Equipment. He worked from there pretending (the adults thought) to be a salesman. He enjoyed watching the mechanics and the adult salesmen from his perch. As it turned out, he was a pretty successful salesman. He also had a lawn mowing business and a Vinita Journal Paper route during his youth. He always said he didn't have time to play ball or go fishing with his friends; he was busy making money! He was a businessman at heart!

Steve graduated from VHS in 1966 and moved on to college at OSU and NEO. During his high school years friends nicknamed him "Rooney" and some called him "Chain". He was known by his friends until his death as Rooney. He served in the Naval Reserves for 2 years. When he returned to Vinita, he went into business with his dad at Stanley Equipment Co. They sold Ford and New Holland farm equipment. He also ran cattle during that time. In 1995 they sold the farm equipment business and Steve began selling real estate. He and Toni also purchased land and rental property consisting of townhomes and apartments as well duplexes and houses. They continued in the rental housing business until 2022 when they sold the bulk of their rental properties.

Steve was a stockholder in Oklahoma State Bank and truly enjoyed the time he served on the board of directors of the bank. He always said if he had it to do over, he would have bought a bank to run. Banking and investing were his two favorite ventures.

He loved spending time with family. His only real hobby was boating on Grand Lake. He enjoyed spending time at their cabin 'the rock' and taking his boat out and looking at the new builds around the lake and watching the changing of the leaves from the boat in the fall.

Along with friends Denny and Gail Cresap, Steve and Toni helped start PAAS – Peaceful Animal Adoption Shelter in Vinita. This is something that both Steve and Toni felt was truly needed in Vinita. There are many homeless and unloved animals – primarily dogs and cats and PAAS helps to fill a need for adoptions and low cost spay/neuters and vaccinations in Vinita and the surrounding area.

A visitation will be on Tuesday, August 12 from 5-7 pm at the Highsmith Funeral Home.

The celebration of Steve's life will be held at 11am Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at St. John's Episcopal Church in Vinita. Entombment will follow at Fairview Cemetery.

Memorials may be given in Steve's name to PAAS.

Online condolences may be made at www.highsmithfh.com or on our funeral home Facebook page. Arrangements are under the care of Burckhalter-Highsmith Funeral & Cremation Services. "Vinita's only locally owned and operated funeral home."