Stanley was such a sweet kid.

There is a saying that goes, ‘You are not on your oath when speaking of the dead’; the idea being that when you die, you are remembered as a perfect angel. 

But with Stanley, it was kind of true. No one really ever had a bad thing to say about him. He was a very kind and sweet kid. It feels strange to string together sentences about him where we tell you how great he was, as if the idea needs convincing.

But Stanley was the kind of kid who did not join in when a group of kids were picking on someone or saying mean things about them. He genuinely was bothered when another person was uncomfortable or in pain and would make an effort to make them feel better or included. He was curious as to how some people could be so cruel to other people, yet always giving them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe someone who appeared to be mean or angry, was just having a bad day, or was dealing with something difficult - reassuring us, that person was not actually bad. He had that kind of altruistic instinct that you don’t see everywhere.

For example, if we were out at a restaurant eating dinner and had bad service, we might make a comment about how bad our server was. Stanley would always come to the server’s defense, almost scolding us not being more patient or understanding. Then, when paying our bill, he’d check the tip to make sure we left enough and sometimes even add more money! There are so many instances where he showed more kindness and understanding towards perfect strangers than we did.

Another story is from his preschool years. We lived in Seattle and on the drive to preschool, we had to stop at a corner where there was always the same gentleman asking for money. Stanley loved rolling down his window and handing him whatever cash or coins I could find in the car. Eventually, I just carried a bunch of dollar bills so we’d always have money to share. One day I found $20 in my car, I don’t know where it came from - but we were both thrilled to hand it to the man on the corner.

Stanley loved his friends. He loved his family. And he was so very much loved in return. He loved life and always approached every endeavor with excitement, curiosity, and humor - fishing, soccer, golf, vacations, playing kickball in the backyard, watching TikTok videos with his little sister. He had a gift of being fully present in each moment. Life was rich and immensely fun with him around. To have lost him so young is an impossible thing. The hole he left is immense and peace feels miles off, as it goes with grief and loss. But this project, run by his friends and family, offers us a little bit of healing and a way of staying connected to Stanley.

So thank you for visiting and please consider this an invitation to follow our journey!

Sincerely,

Stanley’s Parents, Eric & Ann