Rex Stanley Obituary

STANLEY
Rex C. Stanley
Rex Conrad Stanley, beloved husband to Bettye Zane Stanley and adored father to Kathy Smith, Dane Stanley, and Tammy MacDiarmid passed away on December 29, 2009 after a long battle with Leukemia. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Bettye, son Dane Stanley, and daughters, Kathy Smith, Marti Stanley, and Tammy MacDiarmid. He is also survived by five grandsons; Joshua Stanley and his wife Alyssa, Matt Stanley and his wife Angela, Jason Smith and his wife Jennifer, Eric Smith and his wife Christina, and Colin MacDiarmid. He is survived by one special granddaughter, Zane MacDiamid. He also had 10 great grandchildren. Rex dedicated his entire life to his family and always put other's needs ahead of his own. Even in the hospital room, he would make sure that you were comfortable and had what you needed. Rex was born in San Antonio on December 17, 1925 to Frederick Stanley and Iva Anderson. He had 2 brothers and 4 sisters (all deceased). Rex joined the Army-Air Force when he was 17, and flew 50 missions in a B-24 over Europe, during World War II, as a ball turret gunner. He came home and married Bettye (she had loved him since she was twelve) and started their life together. They owned and operated a photography studio, working side by side until he started the news department at K.E.N.S. TV in 1950. He was the cameraman, film editor, reporter, and writer and earned the respect of his colleagues not only with the quality of his work, but the quality of his character. Rex Stanley, referred to as the "Silver Fox" (for his beautiful hair) covered 7 presidents, worked for CBS alongside Dan Rather, and shot interviews of a multitude of Hollywood Stars, as well as day to day news stories spanning 37 years. Rex Stanley was a southern gentleman and wonderful family man. He was thoughtful and kind not only to his family and friends, but to strangers as well. He loved his family and feared the Lord. He ran a good race and fought a long battle and as he enters into heavenly rest, the family invites you to celebration of his life on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 10:00 o'clock at the First Baptist Church in Boerne, 631 S. School Street, Boerne, Texas 78006. Interment to follow at Mission Park North. To leave a message or a tribute for the family, please visit www.vaughanfuneralhome.com and select the obituaries icon. Funeral Arrangements entrusted to:

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Published by San Antonio Express-News on Dec. 31, 2009.

Memories and Condolences
for Rex Stanley

9 Entries

January 3, 2010

I met Rex my first day working at Channel Five in the early 1970’s,. It was while I was still in college, one of my first jobs,. Rex was a mentor and a friend. He subtly gave me lessons about filmmaking and life that I still use today, and there’s rarely a week gone by in the past 40 years that I haven’t repeated to a younger person something he taught me.

My lessons from Rex began with what a young cameraman wanted to know most: how to shoot, how to light, how to tell a story clearly and visually. But being around Rex, you inevitably picked up other, more important life lessons: why exactly a particular story needs to be told, how to preserve your body carrying heavy equipment every day so you could have as long a career as Rex, how to conduct oneself around other people, how important it is giving and keeping your word.

He lived a life of quiet example, and I’ve used him as a touchstone my entire life. I’ve repeated the same things he said to me, to other young men, because what he told me was timeless.

One Rex Stanley story I often tell is the first time he brought me a story to edit,-- a story about oil wells, I recall-- and I discovered in running it through the film viewer that it didn’t need even a single edit… Rex had edited it in the camera,, precisely timing each shot and turning the camera on and off to give each shot its proper length. My amazement at that mental feat of filmmaking led to a discussion with him about where he learned that… from the early days of shooting black & white news footage, where you had to shoot your daily quota of four stories on a single 100-foot reel of film, and not a frame to waste.

After a plane crash at Camp Bullis, Rex was sent to cover the story. A competing photographer was riding in the same military jeep escorted to the scene by a military public information officer. Rex noticed that the other photographer’s film camera had accidentally been tripped, and was running in the jeep, and that the film was being exposed. When they got to the scene, the other photographer had no unexposed film left to shoot. Rex had kept quiet about it during the jeep ride. Why didn’t you tell him, I asked Rex? Was it because you wanted to scoop him on the story? “No,” Rex told me, “It was because I wanted him to learn a lesson he wouldn’t ever forget.” The kicker of course, was that the other photographer was Rex’s own young relative. I’ve sometimes wondered if he appreciates the lesson he learned from Rex that day.

Even if you can’t be first with a story, Rex told me, you can at least get it right. Hopefully, Rex, I got these stories about you right.

Rex, I never told you in life how much you meant to me. I will say it now. Bless you and your family.

Ron Zimmerman, San Antonio

Chris Palmer

January 2, 2010

I have worked in a Newsroom as an Editor/Photographer for years and with todays technology it makes our job easier. To do what Rex did....be the pioneer of TV News coverage in South Texas is an awesome thing for him to have accomplished. I never met the man but admire him for all he did. My prayers and well wishes to his family.

Julia Willene Turner

January 2, 2010

I often thought of the Stanley family, getting away from Hope Lutheran where my family, Wm.and Irene Johnson(deceased) and Leslie/Willene Knight(Leslie deceased)now Willene Turner(widow)use to go, and am sorry to hear of his passing. The whole family was nice to me when I was going thru my problems, and having a good shoulder to cry on. God bless you all, and we know he is in a better place, alhough he will be missed. Julia(Willene)Johnson Turner

sheryl smith

January 2, 2010

we wish to give you and your family our condolences, i have not seen or talked to you in a long while, but i will never forget how rex and bettye were with me at the time my sister shirley and i needed some help when our mother passed away years ago. i know how you are feeling because its been a couple of years again for me and our family. with all our love and prayers go out to you all. love sheryl(stephens) smith and shirley (stephens) ogden.

Annette Pence

January 1, 2010

I worked at KENS-TV in the '80's. I remember Rex as a kind and gentle person. More so, I remember Bettye and Tammy. Rex & Bettye brought me a souvenir once from their vacation. Bettye, please accept my thoughts and prayers and know that God will give you comfort. I know you have lots of good memories.

Jerry Ridling

December 31, 2009

Sometimes God blesses by placing us in another person's presence. That's certainly true in my case with regard to Rex Stanley. I had the privilege and honor of working with Rex at KENS-TV. In today's world, it's popular to rate people on a scale of one to ten. I do not exaggerate in the slightest when I say that, on a scale of ten, Rex was at least a twenty-five. First and foremost, he was a Christian. He didn't wear it on his sleeve, but he certainly led others to a better life through his Christian example. He was also a family man, as rock solid as you'll ever see...and if you were to run into Rex away from work, his beloved and beautiful Bettye was always at his side. Rex was also the consummate professional, perfectly competent, courteous and always the complete gentleman. There was absolutely no pretense to Rex. What you saw is what he was, a first class person of the highest caliber...and while he was basically a quiet man, any one word he might share was worth a dozen more from someone else. His wisdom was extraordinary. I think it's completely accurate to say that if you were so blessed to have been around Rex for a while, you couldn't help but come away from the experience a better person yourself. I have an eight-year-old son and if he ever asks me whom he should most try to emulate when he grows up, I'll point to Rex Stanley. They don't make them any better. I imagine there was a special smile on St. Peter's face when he saw Rex approaching Heaven's gate this week...or, as we might have written into the lead line on Eyewitness News, "They're celebrating in Heaven tonight!"
Jerry Ridling

Fred Schneider

December 31, 2009

I worked with Rex at "5" for 13 years. Rex in news & I was in sales. He was kind, easy going, and most professional. Instead of hiring a ouside the station person to shoot footage for my client's commercials, I would hire Rex to freelance and we always came up with the shots we wanted. If a news story was breaking; you would see the "Silver Fox" running to the mobile news vehicle to get the story first and best. I am proud to have known Rex Stanley.

SUSAN JOSEPH-MILLER

December 31, 2009

TO THE FAMILY OF MR STANLEY: WELL AN ICON HAS LEFT THIS WORLD. MY FATHER RALPH JOSEPH WORKED WITH MR STANLEY AND ALWAYS SPOKE VERY HIGHLY OF HIM, WE HAVE OFTEN WONDERED WHERE MR STANLEY WAS SO HE COULD VISIT OR CALL TO CHAT WITH HIM. OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILY
SUSAN JOSEPH MILLER

colin macdiarmid

December 31, 2009

my name is colin. i am his grandson. he was, and is the most amazing person i have ever met. he never was like a grandfather to me, he was just a father. he has taught me a multitude of valuble things but the most important was to love others more than yourself. i miss him terribly and i look forward to seeing him again.

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