Stanley Paxton

As a young boy he moved with his family from Nebraska to Sanger CA. where he attended school and participated in high school sports. It was in Sanger where he realized his interest in designing and building machinery for the agricultural sector which quickly evolved into his lifelong passion and career.

At the age of 18 he met and married Cecilia Silveria, the love of his life. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp during WWII and was with the 8th Air Force in the European Theater. While on his fifth flight mission his plane was hit with shrapnel causing all crew members to parachute over the Loire Valley in France. Members of the French Resistance rescued him from the German Army and hid him in a farm house for approximately 3 weeks. He was then turned over to another leg of the underground who had been infiltrated by the Germans. He was taken to a Gestapo Headquarters, labeled a spy and sent to Buchenwald Nazi Concentration Camp where he stayed for a number of weeks before being shipped to a POW camp for the duration of the war. A monument at the Chambora Chateau in the Loire Valley in France honors Dad and his crew.

Once the war ended he returned home to his wife and together they moved to Yakima in 1949 to work with his brother at Paxton Sales Corporation. He worked there for 30 years and was known for his keen engineering skills. His reputation as a talented machinist was known throughout the state.

He and Cecilia raised their three children in the West Valley area. It was not uncommon to see him and Ce attending high school football and basketball games during that time. He belonged to Holy Family Catholic Church and was an active member in the parish. He was a life time member of the NRA, a member of American Legion Post 194 in Wiley City and was an active participant with American Ex-Prisoners of War. He was also a charter member of the Ridge Runner four wheel drive club. He loved fishing, hunting, camping and snowmobiling. He will always been remembered for his constant smile and contagious laughter.

He is survived by his lovely wife of seventy years, Cecilia; his son, Harold Keith; daughters, Pamela Jean, Marianne and son-in-law Elmer. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Tim Marshall, Alisha & her husband Kyle O’Connell along with numerous nieces and nephews all who brought him great joy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dwight and Susan; his brothers, Richard, Harold, Kenneth and Dwight Jr.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Richard Boyd for his years of providing care to our father and to Parkside Care Center for the love and comfort they brought him in his final days.

In lieu of flowers, the family ask that a contribution to a charity of your choice be made in Dad’s name.

Visitation will be from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 28, 2012 at Keith & Keith Ninth Avenue Chapel. Graveside services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, June 29, 2012 at West Hills Memorial Park. To share a memory of Stanley, please visit www.keithandkeith.com.