I had many terrific times with  Uncle Stanley.  He took me in when I was  13  & taught me a lot about life & helped me have a successful life.  I will miss him.

Stan, where do you start!  Stan was the most positive attitude person I think I have ever known.  If it was fishing he knew exactly where they were.  If it was golf he would tell you, " Watch this, I'm going to cut it right in there!".  If it was politics, well---lets just say the facts never got in his way.  Stan was kind to everyone and loved he's family so much.  He was generous with his time and resources.  He had a great compassion for those less fortunate.  His humor was endless and he always loved a good story or joke.  He was patience, just kidding.  If you ever played golf with Stan you better be in the cart immediately after your shot or start walking as Stan would be gone!  Driving directions, now there is some classics,  " You know where I'm talking about, down there by whats his name place"  all the while pointing in the opposite direction. Those are just some of the fun things and reasons we all loved Stan.  I am a better person from my relation with Stan and will always remember him for his kind heart and positive outlook.  Stan we miss you.  Jim and Susan Workman

I will always remember the one time I had the opportunity to meet and spend some time with "Granddad". He kept smiles on the faces of everyone around. He tried to improve my poor game of Gin as he beat the heck out of me. And, he and Evelyn's presence made Liz's wedding extra special. Liz's love and admiration for her grandparents was apparent. They were inspiring individually and as a couple. We talked about Granddad and his escapades often. He was one of those very special people put on this planet to teach the rest of us how to play the game of life to it's fullest. I am pretty sure he won and made everyone around him feel like winners too. I am so sorry for your loss my dear friend.  I know how much you will miss him. But, I know the smiles you get when you  recall the many wonderful times you shared. What a blessing he was to you and your family. With Sympathy for your loss.

Uncle Stanley took me in at the age of 13 and made a difference in my life.  I owe what success I had to him and my having a more normal life.  I will miss him and always remember him. He knew how to play, work and get the most out of life and I am going to try to do the same.

Stan was a very special, caring and giving man that had many friends. I am very grateful Stan was my friend. I am a better person because of Stan & Evelyn.

I had the pleasure of working for Stan at Clean Car Motors for about 8 years.  He taught me how to sell cars, repo cars, play golf, play Gin Rummy, Tonk, and how to cheat at Solitaire!  He also introduced me to the finer things in life.  He and Evelyn accepted me into their family and never treated me like I was anything other than family.  No matter what kind of night he'd had the night before, or what kind of morning he was having, whenever I walked through the door, he would always look up smiling and say, "GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!"  What a way to start my day!  There were days when I would say, "Stan I don't understand what you mean!  THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT!"....and he would just smile and say, "One day you'll get it!" And seriously, one day it did just all CLICK.  Everything he had ever tried to teach me about trades and negative equity and all that car stuff really did just click.  And it's been "clicking" ever since.  I owe every bit of my success to STANLEY JAY CONNELL.  I thank him for the opportunity to learn and grow under his direction.  I couldn't have had a better teacher.  I will always love he and Evelyn and cannot thank them enough for changing my life!  I know he is singing to his "love" in Heaven as we speak.  I love you Stan :-)

I will never forget some of the great golf matches between me and Stan beating Ricky and Austin.  We not only had bragging rights but we won a little cash to boot!  Thanks for the rummy lessons and your always kind spirit.  You'll be  missed and always remembered.  Thanks for all the great memories!

Stan was a special person in our family's life. When our daughter Kari married Ricky, Stan and Evelyn became part of us. They were always there and with us on many occasions. We shared grandchildren stories and together, through the years, doted on the greatest grandchildren in the world, Grant and Kara. 
   We held our bond through the loss of our dear Ricky while becoming closer yet through the loss of sweet Evelyn.
   Stan was a strong man, enduring much, always positive,
loved people,had a great sense of humor with a keen interest in current affairs, he read profusely, and had a passion for golf.
   We will sorely miss our visits and our Christmas dinners at Stagecoach but will take comfort in our memories and the blessing of having had him in our lives.
Rest in peace dear Stan. You will forever be in our hearts.

I will always remember the smiles, hugs and flattering words of this sweet fellow.   Uncle Stanley--let me say it back to you, those words you always sang to me..."Let Me Call You Swetheart"!     Dance now with your forever love in heaven.  Then hamonize some more with those brothers of yours.  They have been waiting for you to sing your part.

I remember Stan as a warm-hearted, fun-loving man. My father, Ramon Alvarez, was a mechanic and used to repair vehicles for Stan at Clean Car Motors (when they were located on E VMB). I recall them playing the guitar together (or my father attempting to amuse Stan) during visits as a child. They would laugh together and then Stan would say, "your father is the best mechanic I know." This is my memory of them both. May he rest in peace and may God help comfort his family during this time.

Grandpa Stan was my hero. He endured much and loved greatly. Although we didn't get to see each other often in the last few years, he was always in my thoughts and I continue to see him smiling down on me even now. I have no words to describe how truly much he meant to me or how deeply I will feel his loss for decades to come. My lone regret is that he never got to meet his great grandson Zac nor his great-great grandson Chance. I can only hope that I can be 1/10 the man he was and will ever be. I love you so very much Grandpa. See you again one day...

Uncle Stanley and Aunt Evelyn remained close to my Mother and I. They visited us on the Coast many many times. I would accompany Uncle Stanley on the golf course.  I DO NOT play golf but hit a hole in one and Uncle Stanley almost cried.  So many memories of going to Huntsville (especially once by train)  and Uncle Stanley always helping me with my vehicles. I even remember living there a short time when he and Daddy had a business together.  I loved sleeping on their screened in porch at a lake house and Uncle Stanley helping me catch a turtle that, at the time, seemed as big as a House.  Uncle Stanley's humor and wittiness embarrassed me on a lot of occasions as a teenager.  I would so love to hear it now. The last time I spoke to Uncle Stanley, he called me to wish me happy Mother's Day.  I was surprised he found my number and was able to actually call me.  Especially since it was Christmas time. Give Aunt Evelyn, Teddy, Ricky and Uncle Ace  a big hug from me. I love you Uncle Stanley.

Granddad meant so much to me………….
Many of you know that my relationship with Stan and his late wife, Evelyn was always very close. Almost all of my happy, childhood family memories are centered around good times that involved the two of them. I was born into his household in Alabama, they had just moved there from Texas about a month before my birth. As a toddler I remember so many mornings of sipping coffee (mine was mostly milk and sugar) with the two of them and “helping” him read the paper. He was always teaching me a new word, how to spell it and what it meant.
Granddad loved life with gusto! He loved being with people, loved his family and especially loved and impacted the lives of his grandchildren. If you asked him about the secret to his longevity he would say it was because of all the golf he played over the years but I believe it was his resilience and positive attitude. He got up every day to a brand new day, raring to go, enthusiastic and ready to overcome adversities and to enjoy what pleasures were at hand. I know his “joie de vivre” kept mam-maw Evelyn going longer than she would have without him around. He is an inspiration to me in this regard and many others. 
He loved good music, babies, puppies and kittens and taking a flower to a pretty lady--- and they were all pretty to him. He loved good food and we had many phone conversations describing to one another what we were eating and wishing the other was there to share it.
As I was the first grandchild I was the first of us kids to go on early morning fishing expeditions with him. Stan always had a huge sweet tooth. Mam-maw would pack us a hearty lunch and when we stopped to get bait he would load us up with candy bars, Hostess cupcakes and other treats. Pretty soon the three grandsons came along and grew to share his love of fishing. He had all of us playing gin rummy with him practically before we could talk. Growing up is full of fun memories of camping trips, Florida vacations and spending time at their lake place. He was a very generous person, in times of plenty and in times of not so plenty, also an admirable trait to me.
Even as a pre-teen he would plan a “date night” with me every so often, just the two of us. I'd dress up and we'd go to a fancy restaurant. I'd get a sip of his wine and we'd dance together if there was a band playing, as there often was back in the day.  I could always tell him anything.
Anyone who is close to me met my grandparents or knew all about them. I'd like to share an excerpt from a sympathy note I received from an old friend that I've known since we met at a Presbyterian Church camp in high school. Attending that camp was another special gift to me from Stan and Evelyn, by the way. Page Eppele wrote these words about Stan:
“I was truly blessed when your grandparents came into my life. I remember the first time I met him 39 years ago and every time after. He was always positive about life, a joy to be around and always made you feel great. As I go through life I seldom remember what people said but I always remember how they made me feel. Your grandfather was always uplifting and had a big grin on his face. What a great long life he lived and a great example to so many.”
I actually don't remember hearing Stan say anything bad about anyone. Well….except for Willie Nelson. He didn't think a man that old should wear his hair that long. I think he was really just jealous that a man that old HAD that much hair:)?
I lived with Stan and Evelyn again, for a summer between college and graduate school. Then they moved back to Texas, so far away but great fun to come and visit and an opportunity to know more of the Connell family better. I missed them, though, and in 1983 with the help and encouragement of a good friend and my dear cousin, Mitch, I moved to Austin to be near them again. We shared many good times in the six years I lived there and I was happy to be there to sip champagne with them on their 50th wedding anniversary.
Although he didn't have a lot of formal education, Stan was always a voracious reader—-biographies, mysteries, the classics. Years later when I introduced him to Hobie, my husband to be, they spent some time talking (or rather granddad interviewing Hobie) and when they rejoined us he gave his blessing to me with the simple words, “He seems like a fine young man, he is well-read.” Granddad walked me down the aisle at my wedding, thus relinquishing his “protector” role of me.
When Evelyn passed 16 years ago I thought he may not want to go on without her. But that indomitable spirit of his went on. I took her place on an Alaskan cruise they were planning together and we had a blast! He was 81 and we went salmon fishing, white water rafting through an eagle preserve and whale watching---when I could get him away from the casino!
No one is perfect, alas. Stan wasn't very “handy” and didn't know his way around a tool box very well. He thought a can of WD-40 could fix anything! Also, my husband would tell you I've inherited Stan's lack of patience. For example, mam-maw would prepare a fabulous meal and serve it up on a beautifully set table and granddad would finish eating and start clearing our plates away from in front us while we were still eating! He also had a stubborn streak a mile long. I think one of the other grandkids inherited that one, though.
I still think of Evelyn almost every day and I will cherish every moment I shared with Stan. They taught me so much about life and love. I am forever grateful and indebted to Paul and Alisa for the loving care they provided to granddad these last few years as he grew more infirm. I am also grateful to Loretta for keeping love alive for granddad till the very end. You made him very happy.
“Life is a bowl of cherries. Some cherries are rotten while others are good; it's your job to throw out the rotten ones and forget about them while you enjoy eating the ones that are good! There are two kinds of people: those who choose to throw out the good cherries and wallow in all the rotten ones, and those who choose to throw out all the rotten ones and savor all the good ones.” 
? C. Joy Bell C.
Be a savorer! I love you forever, granddad.

The most influential man in my life, he taught me so much. He was a mentor, a friend, but most importantly, he was my Grandfather. I love you Grandad, and will miss you.

Uncle Stan once told me he outlived my Dad (Ted) because while Ted was stressing away traveling for President Johnson and the VFW and building a business empire, Stan was relaxing on the golf course.

I don't think I ever saw him that he didn't have a story to tell or a joke to share.

Steve and I enjoyed our last meal in Killeen as residents of that city by having dinner with Uncle Stan and Aunt Evelyn. We were exhausted from the moving, loading and sorting process as well as a garage sale. It's a very fond memory as it was the last time we shared a meal over their table.

When I was very  very young we went to the beach with the Ted and Stanley Connells. I am finally owning up to the fact that I lost the car keys! We couldn't get into the car when it was time to go.

Uncle Stan and Evelyn proudly came from Alabama to my wedding in 1972 and made sure that Papaw Connell was there as well. How kind they were to do this.

My father (Ted) and Stan were very close in their younger years. Uncle Stan named his son, Ted, and my father named his son, Mark Stanley, after Uncle Stan. Dad actually lived with Stan and Evelyn after leaving home and before joining the army during WW II.

OBITUARY

Stanley J. Connell

16 November, 1916 – 12 May, 2014

Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home

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