Visitation
Sunday, June 7, 2009
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT
Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes Van't Hof Chapel
851 Leonard St., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Map
Service
Monday, June 8, 2009
11:00 AM EDT
Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes Van't Hof Chapel
851 Leonard St., N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Map
Contributions
At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.
Edison Christian Health Center
1000 Edison Ave. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49502
(616) 453-2475
Driving Directions
Web Site
Corewell Health Hospice
750 Fuller Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(866) 542-7945
Driving Directions
Web Site
Flowers
Below is florist information recommended by the funeral home.
Ball Park Floral
8 Valley Ave.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 459-3409
Driving Directions
Life Story / Obituary
Eileen “Tiny” Stanley was a real spunky, strong-willed lady who enjoyed the comforts of a simple and honest lifestyle. She was perfectly happy spending time with her loved ones and didn’t need thousands of flashy distractions in her life. Eileen was a friendly and caring woman who made everyone feel special when she was near.
Though it fell within the timeframe of World War I, 1916 was a year marked by many great events. While Albert Einstein worked on completing his theory of relativity, Charlie Chaplin was at the height of his fame entertaining wartime audiences as a silent movie star. It was into this heightened world of war and laughter that Eileen Florence Wilson was born on January 25, 1916, in Springfield, Illinois. She was the fourth of eleven children born to William and Clara (Lafferty) Wilson.
Eileen grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois, though spent some time in an orphanage, because of the
size of her family. Like many young girls of this time, Eileen quit school early on to work to help support her family. However, she still had responsibilities at home too, one of which was cleaning the house. In fact, Eileen was a stickler for cleanliness all her life. The basement floor was clean enough to eat off of and every cupboard and drawer was meticulously organized.
Eileen was 19 when she married the love of her life, Eugene Melvin Stanley, on March 25, 1935; he was 10 years older than her. They soon became the proud parents of their beautiful daughter, Clara or Kibby, as she was called, who was undoubtedly their pride and joy. In order to provide for their family, Eugene moved to Grand Rapids to find work, since some of Eileen’s family had already found work there. It wasn’t long before Eileen and Clara joined Eugene there, settling in a home on the west side of Grand Rapids. After some time, Eileen also found work in the factory at the R.C. Allen Company, but worked her way up to being an Inspector before retiring after 35 years.
As a couple, Eileen and Eugene were very sociable and enjoyed going dancing and drinking with their friends at the Casino Club. As they got older though, the couple began to focus more on their family. When their daughter was growing up, the couple took several vacations back to East St. Louis to visit family and because they didn’t always have a car, many trips were made by bus. Sadly, Eileen lost her beloved husband Eugene in December 1985 after 50 years of marriage. This was quite an adjustment for Eileen, especially since she let Eugene do all the driving and now she had to. For many years, she also found great comfort in her Angora feline companion, Bootsy.
Eileen eventually went to live in an apartment at Mt. Mercy, and like her home, she kept it in tip-top shape. In fact, the staff would show her room to potential renters because they knew it would be spotless at any given time. On occasion, Eileen would even spot check her own daughter’s house to make sure things were clean and tidy. When by chance there wasn’t any cleaning to do and Eileen sat down, she enjoyed watching Lawrence Welk or a Jackie Gleason show on TV. She had also befriended a man named Jim Riggs at Mt. Mercy, and she would often check in on him and socialize. When Eileen moved to the Christian Rest Home about 2 ½ years ago, Jim faithfully visited her there.
One thing that upheld Eileen throughout her life was her beloved daughter and her precious grandchildren. Eileen loved being a doting grandmother, especially when it came to her only granddaughter. There were 5 generations of girls in the family by this time. Eileen watched her grandkids whenever possible, playing Old Maid with them and giving them anything their heart desired. And they knew that if their mom didn’t let them have something, Grandma would – and what Grandma says – goes!
Eileen Stanley was one of those people who made life more interesting just by being alive. Eileen was stubborn and openly voiced her opinions - you never had to wonder what she was thinking. She was a colorful person with a good sense of humor, and although she made things challenging at times, she had a soft heart, generous and willing to sacrifice anything for her family. She will be greatly missed.
Eileen “Tiny” F. Stanley, age 93 of Grand Rapids, MI, passed away on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at the Christian Rest Home. She was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene, and grandson, John Borgia. She is survived by her loving and devoted daughter and son-in-law, Kibby and Frank Borgia; grandchildren: Chris Pikaart, Frank (Jenny) Borgia, Tom (Ellen) Borgia; great grandchildren: Shelley (Jason) Parsons, Ron Pikaart (Stacy), John, Alex, Joey, Ryan, Chad and Tommy Borgia; great great grandchildren: Lexie, Haeleigh and Jayla Parsons; nieces and nephews, including a special nephew, Pete (Marylou) Hoffman; and her special devoted friend, Jim Riggs.
Funeral and committal services will be held on Monday, June 8, at 11 a.m. at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home – Van’t Hof Chapel, 851 Leonard NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504, where relatives and friends may visit with her family on Sunday, June 7, from 4-7 p.m. For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to either Christian Rest Home or Spectrum Health Hospice. Please visit Eileen’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory/thought with her family or sign her online guest book.