How I loved this dear woman. Everyone did. She was loving and kind and spunky and funny. They moved into our ward as they returned from a mission in Nauvoo. They were performing missionaries. It was while I was RS president. We made an instant bond. Very shortly thereafter, her husband died. She handled widowhood so well. She was such an example of moving on. She applied for and went on a mission to New Zealand, serving with the young sister missionaries and holding her own. Often, when I would look out my window, I would see Winona out weeding in the park behind our house. She made it her personal mission to keep that area weed-free. Winona has been a tremendous influence in my life. Heaven truly gained an angel.
Dec. 15, 1932-Nov. 23, 2023
Winona Crosby Stanley, 90, passed away Thanksgiving morning Nov. 23, 2023. She was born Dec. 15, 1932, in St. George, Utah, to Henry and Emma Seegmiller Crosby. She married Burton M. Stanley on June 26, 1953, in the St. George, Utah Temple.
Winona was proud to be an authentic hometown gal. She was the middle of five children and given the name Winona, which means eldest daughter. She loved spending her childhood on Diagonal Street where the Sugarloaf and Brooks ponds were her very own playground and wonderland. She attended Woodward School and Dixie High School excelling in visual and performing arts.
It was while attending Dixie College on an art scholarship that she met and fell in love with her eternal companion Burton Stanley. Winona and Burton formed their family of six kids raising them primarily in Salt Lake City where she sacrificed so much for her family while also making time to expand her artistic nature and fostering a love of everything beautiful in her children. It was when her youngest graduated high school that she was able to fulfill her dream of moving back to St. George where she lived for the remainder of her life except for the times she volunteered as a missionary in Nauvoo alongside her husband, and then again in New Zealand after Burton passed away. A devoted disciple of Jesus Christ, Winona embodied His teachings of mercy, forgiveness, devotion, service, and love. To interact with Winona was to be in the presence of God and her infectious smile and warmth was a constant expression of light and love. Her “I’m a luva, luva, luva you” will forever resonate in the hearts of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by one sister Linda Bills and her six children: Jan Peterson, Karen Fazlurrehman, Douglas Stanley (Karen), Robert Stanley, Brenda Peterson (Mark) and David Stanley (Traci); 35 grandchildren and spouses; and 36 great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her husband Burton Stanley, her parents Henry and Emma Crosby, three brothers — Jack, Charles and Brent and her son-in law Syed Fazzlurrehman.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Bloomington Hills Chapel 750 Fort Pierce Drive, St. George, Utah. Friends may call the day of the funeral for a viewing between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the same location. Interment will take place in the St. George City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, consider making a donation to your local arts.
Special thanks to Dixie Home Hospice, the staff of Legacy Village, and the Bloomington Hills 4th Ward for their service, care and devotion.
At the funeral, the bishop told about when he first met Winona. She told him that she was a WINner, not a WHINer. That was to help him know how to pronounce her name. When I was ward Choir leader, Winona was my most faithful member. She was always at rehearsal. She loved music and loved to sing. For a Christmas program one year, I asked her to sing a solo. She was flabbergasted. She said she had never sung a solo before. But she accepted the assignment and did a beautiful job. She had such a clear, pretty voice. She expressed to me many times after that what a blessing that had been to get to sing that. She thanked me and thanked me for giving her that opportunity.
A couple of grandchildren spoke at her funeral and told how blessed they were to have her as a grandma. They truly were. We were all blessed to know her. Until we meet again . . .
2 comments:
Winona is a remarkable woman! She was so warm and friendly and she loved everybody.
She really did seem to bless every person she met. She arrived at the pearly gates the same way Sister Hinckley desired as stated in the quote on the side of your blog. What a win Winona!
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