Gary J. Stanton

Gary J. Stanton, 63, passed away peacefully after a short battle with cancer. He is predeceased by his son, Michael in 2013 after a motorcycle accident; and his parents, Annette and Richard Stanton. He is survived by the love of his life and his best friend, Sally Hart Stanton; and his two sons, David and wife, Lindsay of Johnson City, NY and Jake of Abilene. Gary has three beautiful grandchildren who were his pride and joy, Sammy and Liam in New York and Michaela in Abilene. Gary is also survived by his brothers, Ken and Nancy Stanton; and Luke and Andrea Stanton, both from Deposit, NY.

Gary was born in Deposit, NY. After graduating from Deposit Central High School, Gary served in the U.S. Army as a member of the Military Police. From there he returned to his hometown of Deposit and served eight years as a patrolman for the Village Police Department. Gary and Sally were married in 1984 and moved from New York to Texas where he continued his law enforcement career. He retired from the Texas Department of Corrections in 2010 after 23 years of service. Upon retirement Gary and Sally purchased an RV and spent the last five years traveling all over the U.S. enjoying their time together, making new friends and visiting family scattered throughout the East Coast.

A funeral mass will be held Tuesday, August 30, 2016, at 10am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with burial following in Elliott-Hamil Garden of Memories Cemetery, 5701 Hwy 277 South, Abilene. Visitation will be Monday evening at Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home, 542 Hickory St. from 5 to 9pm. A rosary prayer service will begin at 8pm. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Gary’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research online at www.stjude.org