Lee Roy Stanley

Lee Stanley, 88, of 705 Parkway Boulevard died Friday, January 18, at Penn Nursing Center. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 22 at First Baptist Church, with Dr. Bill Duke officiating. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service. Lee was preceded in death by his mother, Grace Currie, stepfather, Edgar Currie, and his wife of 66 years, Jeanne Throckmorton Stanley. A native of Reidsville, Lee graduated from Reidsville High School in 1942. He enlisted in the Navy and served his country as a United States Naval Aviator. He was a 1949 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill where he received a degree in commerce and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Lee began his career in Lyman, SC with Pacific Mills but returned to Reidsville in 1955 to enter the real estate business at William C. Stokes and Company, which later became Nichols and Stanley. He was president of the Rockingham County Board of Realtors, served on the Adjustments and Appeal Housing Authority, and was named Reidsville's Realtor of the Year. Lee was a true advocate for the city of Reidsville and served as president of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1976, he was a charter member of the Reidsville Downtown Corporation and served on its board until his retirement in 1998. He was named a North Carolina Main Street Champion in 2000 for his dedicated efforts to revitalize downtown Reidsville. Lee was a strong believer in education and worked to bring a community college to Rockingham County. He was on the Reidsville School Board and was chairman of the Rockingham County John Motley Morehead scholarship selection committee. He was a member of the Reidsville Rotary Club, served as its president, and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He enjoyed hosting Rotarians from around the world. Lee also was a member of the Reidsville Jaycees and served on the Reidsville YMCA Board, Reidsville Library Commission, Boy Scouts Commission, Crusade for Christ Committee, and the Pennrose Park Country Club Board of Directors. He was a devoted son, husband, father, and grandfather. He became a great grandfather in October 2012. Lee is survived by his daughter, Meredith S. Smothers and husband John of Greensboro; son, Larry Stanley and wife, Michelle Goyeau of Asheville; his granddaughters, Meg S. Robinson and husband, Jonathan of Decatur, GA; Jane S. Ferguson and husband, Drew of Raleigh; and grandson, Zachary Goyeau Stanley of Asheville; a great granddaughter, Helen Robinson; sister-in-law, Mary T. (Mert) Johnson. Lee leaves behind many special friends and caregivers at the Penn Nursing Center. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, Reidsville, NC, the Annie Penn Hospital Foundation, or the Lee and Jeanne Stanley Scholarship at Rockingham Community College.