George Robert Stanley Jr. was born in West Hartford, CT on November 21, 1936. George came from a military family. His father, Brigadier General George R. Stanley, was an aviation pioneer. He served in the Korean War as an Air Force fighter-bomber pilot and wing commander. After the war, he served in the Connecticut Air National guard and retired, at the rank of major general, as head of the Connecticut Air National Guard. His mother, Nida Davis Stanley, a graduate of Carnegie Tech, was an artist and dancer who was very active in charity and community service work in Connecticut. After retirement, they lived in Cape Coral, FL and Mount Holly, VT.
George grew up in West Hartford. He attended Manlius Academy for several years and then transferred to Hall High School at West Hartford. He played football in high school, formed his own band, and started an investment club. George’s range of interests and skills and his pursuit of excellence would be his trademark throughout his life. George entered West Point from West Hartford High School as a qualified alternate.
At West Point, George was involved in two areas of interest and competence. He was a member of the Rifle Club, the Pistol Club and the Skeet Club. He was also a member of the Class Quartet, the Cadet Chapel Choir and the West Point Glee Club. He was on the Rifle Team for each of his four cadet years. During that time, he earned a numeral as a plebe, was a letterman for his Third and Second Class years and then was a letterman and team captain during his First Class year.
George met his wife Judy two years prior to graduation. They were married in June 1960 in the Cadet Chapel. George selected the Signal Corps upon graduation. He completed Airborne training and Signal Corps communications training and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in Oahu, HI. Shortly after, he was asked to captain the All-Army Rifle Team and was temporally assigned to Camp Perry, OH. Upon returning to Hawaii, he was assigned to Headquarters Company in Honolulu. There he obtained his top-secret clearance and was assigned as crypto custodian for the Pacific Theater. George served in that capacity until his resignation from the U.S. Army as a captain in June 1964.
George’s military experience in cryptology led to his first civilian position as crypto custodian on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. During this assignment he was responsible for coordinating the telemetry for practice launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
In 1966, George and Judy decided to return to New England. George took a position in sales with a large corporation. He had always been interested in investments. With that interest and his technical skills, he enrolled in and graduated from a training program at the New York Stock Exchange. After qualifying, he began his investment career in the Boston area. The investment business became the foundation of George’s career path, and he continued in this field throughout the rest of his life.
George and Judy moved to Coral Springs, FL in 1976. He worked in many facets of the world of finance, including several stints as a trainer for several companies. George retired as a Certified Financial Planner. He decided to use his background by creating his own company and formed a consulting services company, GRS Financial Services. During their time in Coral Springs, Judy worked as a middle school teacher and later became involved in real estate.
George and Judy continued to have a wide range of interests and were very active in the years following his retirement. In addition to his consulting work, they bought a bar and grill and converted it to a jazz format, which was a long-held area of interest.
George was a devoted husband and father. He and Judy were the parents of three children. Daughters Kimberly and Pamela were born in Hawaii, and son Gregory was born in Connecticut. Pamela and her husband Richard Dix have two children, Devin and Megan.
George was always a role model for hard work and dedication to excellence in every task he performed. He not only was an excellent marksman, he captained his rifle team several times. He not only was an investment expert, he was a trainer, a leader and an entrepreneur in his field. He loved what he did, and he did it well.
While achieving excellence, George was also admired through his life as a very good natured and thoughtful person. He had a wonderful sense of humor and wit and made countless friends. He earned the respect of all that he met for his desire to learn and do well in every task he assumed. His passing came too soon when he died of heart failure. He will be greatly missed and always remembered.