Stanley E Brush

Stanley died in the late morning of December 29, 2016 three months to the day after losing his wife of 69 years. He told his daughter, Victoria, a few days before his death that he didn’t want to die, but, without Beverly, he couldn’t find a reason to live.

Stan lived a life full of curiosity, creativity, humor, passion and a love of all things…from his beloved Himalayan mountains to his precious wife, Beverly. His chosen profession was teaching, but his interests were expansive, being an avid, talented photographer and self-taught artist from boyhood. Stan also loved to travel, sparked from being raised abroad. He was never satisfied with the status quo, still searching in his last days for greater meaning and depth, pondering both the choices he made and the ones he hadn’t.

Stan was born to American Baptist missionaries at home in Kharagpur, India, a small railroad town south of Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta). He spent his entire childhood in India, both in Kharagpur and in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, where he attended Woodstock School, a Christian boarding school for missionary kids. After graduating from Woodstock School in 1942, Stan and his girlfriend, Beverly Amstutz, traveled to the United States together, aboard the Shaw Savill Line’s QSMV “Dominion Monarch.” It was, by his autobiographical account in “Farewell the Winterline,” a memorable, circuitous ocean journey to avoid Nazi submarines patrolling the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans during World War II.

Stan enrolled at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, but was soon drafted into the Army. Being from a compassionate Baptist family, he enlisted as a Conscientious Objector and was sent to the Panama Canal Zone for two years of active duty in medical services. It was in Panama City that he bought an engagement ring for Beverly. Upon military discharge and completion of his bachelor’s degree in Sociology, they were married June 6, 1947.

Stan’s life was full of interesting people - students, colleagues, and international associates cultivated during his profession as a college professor:

• In Lahore, Pakistan for his early teaching career

• As a guest lecturer in Trinidad, West Indies and London, UK

• Completing his career as a popular University of Bridgeport professor in Connecticut.

He taught English briefly, followed by Indian, American and World History, but Stan’s special interest and expertise was the history, culture, and the philosophical / religious cross currents of South Asia (India and Pakistan).

With a lifelong love of learning and academia, Stanley learned to read and write Urdu, phrases of several Indian languages, and some Latin and French. He acquired three Masters degrees:

• in Theology (University of Chicago, 1952) after studying the History of Religion with an emphasis on Islamic Studies

• in Islamic Studies (Hartford Theology Seminary, 1958) after studying Christianity, Indian religions, and Islam as well as Linguistics and Arabic.

• in South Asian History (1964, University of California - Berkeley) after studies in that field, plus history of the British Empire, Qajar Persia, and the Islamic Religion.

• a PhD in History (1971, University of California - Berkeley) for his original research on “Protestants in the Punjab: Religion and Social Change in an Indian Province in the Nineteenth Century.”

• Stan was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship in 1974-75 for “Increasing mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the United States” for which he returned to West Pakistan; and a Joseph J. Malone Fellowship from the National Council on US-Arab Relations, which took him to Egypt in the summer of 1989.

After retiring, Stanley worked with AirIndia for a decade or so as a travel tour guide-lecturer in the USA and Canada, arranging and leading at least four trips from 1983-1994.

• 1983: Delhi - the Taj in Agra - Khajuraho for the erotic temples - Varanasi - Kolkata (Calcutta) - Darjeeling - Gantok in Sikkim. Victoria and several close friends from Bridgeport CT accompanied him on this tour.

• 1985: Bagdogra - Darjeeling - Calcutta - Kathmandu & area (Gangtok, Kalimpong) - Varanasi - Agra - New Delhi. Stan’s sister, Francis, went on this tour plus the later trip to Pakistan.

• 1991 ~ Northern Pakistan: Lahore - Rawalpindi - Islamabad - Srinagar (Kashmir) - Gilgit - Altit-Nagar in Hunza on the Old Silk Route where they met the Mir & Rani (King & Queen) - Khunjerab Pass 16000ft/ Border w/China - Gulmit - Swat - Khyber Pass - Peshawar.

After Stan’s death, his daughters Cynthia and Victoria distributed their parents’ treasured lifelong collections, art and photography to family and friends in four countries (Pakistan, India, Canada, USA) and 20 different states.

Stan is survived by his heartbroken family:


Daughters: Cynthia and her husband Bill Grey and Victoria and her spouse, Joan Scholvin, and his “adopted” son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Barbara Amstutz.

His sister, Frances Brush Schillinger, and brother-in-law, Bruce Amstutz and his wife, Nan.

Grandsons Marc Brownlow, David (Blythe) Brownlow and Stan’s great-granddaughter, Aislee whom Stan and Beverly only met via FaceTime, video chat.

Nephews and nieces: Jon (Anita) Brush, Kamala Brush and wife, Lucy Baruch, Tim (Ki) Brush, Gary and David Peterson, Eric (Deidre) Amstutz, and Tim (Dawn) Amstutz.

Grand-nephews and grand-nieces: Andrew and David Amstutz, Jake and Dora Brush, John and Laura Brush and Liz DeJong. Step-grand-nephew Jefferson (Katherine) and their daughter, Josephine.

And his extended family around the world made up of former students, colleagues and other friends. Stan and Bev’s doors were always open to anyone in need of a family, friendship or a bit of loving care, and there are many left behind who consider them honorary parents.

Stan was predeceased by his wife, Beverly, his parents Edwin and Helen, brother and sister-in-law John & Miriam Brush, grandson Marc’s wife, Briana, nephew Steven Brush, and nephew David Peterson’s wife, Cherry. His nephew, Gary Peterson, died recently...before this obituary was completed.

Cremation arrangements were made under the kindly direction of Barbara DiBuono of the BLAKE-DOYLE Funeral Home 856-854- 2570, Collingswood NJ.


Victoria combined his and Beverly’s ashes together and, per their wishes, are scattering them in beautiful places around the world. Some of their ashes will be returned to Landour, India in 2019, where they met 80 years earlier in 1939.