Stanley Walter Stan"" Michalski

Stanley Walter Albert Michalski, “Stan,” left this life on his own terms -- at home in the loving arms of his family early the morning of December 1, 2014. If you’re wondering how old he was, you’re not alone, he had the energy of a man half his age.

Stan was born in Bayonne, New Jersey to Stanley Peter and Marion (Bajius) Michalski and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut. At the age of 16, he dabbled in floral design. As a young man, he was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War and traveled thereafter to Japan. After being discharged, he put himself through school and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, and received a Bachelor’s of Science in electrical engineering and graduate degree in traffic engineering from Yale. While working for the Singer Corporation, he was part of the team that developed the flight simulator that went on to save the crew of Apollo 13, and was the original prototype for all commercial aircraft. He came to Colorado to work for Safetran based in Colorado Springs. He has the distinction of never retiring as the proud owner and president of Traffic Signal Controls, Inc., a local Longmont company he started in 1984 that provides cutting edge traffic control systems (Stan: “please don’t call them stoplights!”) to cities across the nation. He had a life long passion for engineering, and was known for his unparalleled expertise, professionalism, and integrity.

He lost his wife Debbie to cancer in 1992 and continued to independently raise four children and successfully operate his business. He married Lisa in 1995 and relished exploring, eating, and dancing his way with her in his later years through Costa Rica, Quebec, Alaska, the Panama Canal, and many others. He loved cooking for family and friends while watching hockey and football, shopping and sampling at Costco, and was an avid dog lover who treated the family keeshonds like his own children. He looked forward each week to playing twilight golf at Fox Hills Golf Club. He was a Paul Harris Fellow in his local Rotary chapter who avidly believed in leadership, scholarship, and service, and was honored by the Longmont Area Economic Council for his local efforts in the community.

His memory endures through his elder sister, Dorothy Dring. He also lives on through his dedicated wife, Lisa, and his teachings and love live on through his children, Michael, Tom, Casey, and Amanda, and his energetic disposition and wily nature has been imparted to his 3 year-old grandson, Jackson. He obsessively collected Don Quixote artifacts and would have left everyone with this line from Miguel de Cervantes, “The man who fights for his ideals is the man who is alive.” A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, December 4th at 2:00 pm at Howe Mortuary.

Contributions in Stan's memory may be made to:

A Woman's Work

2204 18th Avenue

Longmont, CO 80501

Victim Advocate Program

Longmont Police Department

225 Kimbark Street

Longmont, CO 80501

Twin Peaks Rotary

c/o 1st Lutheran Church

803 3rd Avenue

Longmont, CO 80501