Bill B. Stanley

Bill B. Stanley, of Kosse, passed away Wednesday, September 5, 2012, at his home, following a battle with cancer. He was 80. Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, September 8, 2012, at the First United Methodist Church in Kosse. The funeral service will begin at 11:00 A.M. Saturday with Rev. John Montgomery officiating. Burial will follow in Ebenezer Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Allen Long, Eddie Christiansen, James Railsback, Bobby Joe Suttle, Chester Peterson, and John McCarver. Bill was born October 6, 1931 to Salathiel Minor Stanley and Ersie Stanley at Wynne, Arkansas. After graduating from high school in Whitehall, Arkansas, Bill entered the United States Air Force in 1948, where he served during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant in 1953. Bill was united in marriage with Paula Probst on August 25, 1956 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Bill graduated from the University of Arkansas, with a Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering degree. Part of his career as an electrical engineer was with the Corp of Engineers, installing missile sites in Arkansas. He later worked with Cameron Iron Works in Houston for twenty years, and then worked ten years for the University of Texas at M.D. Anderson, retiring in 1994. After retirement, Bill and Paula moved to Kosse to enjoy the country life and be near family. Bill was a gardener and a woodworker who could make anything. He made many decorative items and furniture for family and for the annual church bazaar. Bill was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Kosse. He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, and five sisters. He is survived by his wife Paula Stanley of Kosse; son and daughter-in-law, William Minor and Stacy Stanley of Harrison, AR; son, Patrick Blaine Stanley of Salem, MS; grandson, James Stanley and wife Leslie of Eucha, OK; great grandson, Minor Glen Stanley and great granddaughter, Kenzie Ray Stanley of Eucha, OK; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Peggy and Lyndon Phelps of Kosse, TX, and Arleen Probst of Rockville, MD and many nieces and nephews and loving friends.