Patricia G. Stanley

Patricia was born March 4, 1940, in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the cherished daughter of Elmina Anne Sigman Gazaway (Bubba) and Will Gazaway (Daddy Bill).

From a young age, Patricia embraced life with her signature independence and zest. She graduated from Southwest DeKalb High School and began her career at Georgia Power Company. As a teenager, Patricia relished cruising around Atlanta with her girlfriends, embarking on family trips to Florida, and even meeting her heartthrob, Elvis Presley, at a concert where she climbed on the trashcans to see him in his blue boxer shorts with white sailboats.

Patricia met her beloved husband, Glenn Stanley, on the day she came home from the hospital. Glenn remembered the day Patricia was born, he was four years old and together they built a life rooted in love and partnership – and lots of arguments. For years, they owned and operated a shoe repair business as well as a daycare serving their community with love and dedication.

After years of Patricia wanting to become a racecar driver, she chose to fall back on the next best thing....school bus driver. She drove 30 years for DeKalb County and another decade driving for Henry County, touching countless hearts and changing the lives of all who knew her through her kindness and care.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Phillip Gazaway, her sister Elizabeth “Betty” Gazaway Ellis, and her beloved husband Glenn Stanley. Patricia is survived by her four children: Michael Stanley (Susan), Marilyn Stanley White (Scott), Mark Stanley, and Martin Stanley (Michelle Marks); her grandchildren: Ashley White, Katie White Beech, Michaela White Thompson (Kent), Taylor Stanley Davis (Dustin), Victoria Stanley, Taryn Stanley, Nicholas Stanley, Abigal Stanley; her great-grandchildren: Magnolia Anne Beech, Easton Kyle Beech, Opal Anne Thompson, Scott “Precious” Thompson; her two lifelong friends of more than 70 years Bonnie Stewart and Carolyn Christian and many nieces and nephews.

Patricia will be remembered for her courage, her laughter, her warmth, and her attitude that she brought to those around her. To her family and friends, her passing just before Christmas was both a gentle farewell and a joyful promise of reunion with Glenn. Though her absence is felt deeply, the stories, lessons, and love Patricia shared will continue to inspire all who knew her, every day, in ways grand and small. Patricia’s last request of her family was to ensure that everyone knew Jesus so that she could see them all again one day.

A visitation of family and friends will be held at Horis A. Ward - Fairview Chapel, located at 376 Fairview Rd, Stockbridge, Georgia 30281, on Saturday, December 27, 2025, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Following the visitation, a celebration of her life will take place at the same location, starting at 1:00 pm. Services will conclude with a graveside committal at Fairview Memorial Gardens | 164 Fairview Road, Stockbridge, Georgia, 30281.