Stan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and was raised in Spokane, Washington. As a young boy he was fascinated with and inspired by airplanes and spent much time observing the activity at Felts Field in Spokane. In high school he served as a mail agent for an independent company that picked up and delivered mail to the airport. Soon he became acquainted with the manager and employees of Northwest Airlines. He applied for a job and was accepted as a cleaner. This began a lifelong career in the airline business. Months later he was transferred to Seattle’s Boeing Field. He soon became a Junior Mechanic and was able to qualify for and obtain his aircraft engine license.
World War II interrupted his civilian airline career. Stan was drafted into the U. S. Army Air Corps and had his assignment as a mechanic at John Rodgers Field in Hawaii. There he serviced airplanes arriving from the United States and going on to combat zones in the South Pacific. He witnessed the Enola Gay on it’s departure to and return from Japan. Stan was able to take classes and get his aircraft license while stationed in Hawaii.
After the war ended he returned to Northwest Airlines in Seattle, now at Sea-Tac Airport. He was promoted to Inspector, then later to Lead Inspector. After more than 20 years with NWA he took a position with West Coast Airlines, and returned to Boeing Field. Soon the company merged into Air West, eventually becoming Hughes Airwest. Around this time, Stan persuaded an executive to hire his son, which resulted in his son’s career as a 747 Captain.
Stan became Maintenance Manager at LAX . He was a consultant for maintenance for the Ronald Reagan presidential campaign charter flights and spent ten days flying to ten cities alongside Ronald Reagan. Stan’s Managers Association at LAX was called on to hang the eight propellers on the Spruce Goose when it was brought out of mothballs in 1976
After retiring from Republic, he accepted a consulting position with Horizon Airlines in Portland and became Vice President of Maintenance. As a result of mergers and acquisitions, Stan actually worked for eight different airlines in his 42-year career.
Stan retired in 1984 and was a long time resident of Huntington Beach, California, where he enjoyed his family, friends, golf, woodworking and volunteering for many community activities. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Elaine, his daughter, Rebecca Anderson Ross, son, Richard Anderson, four grandsons and five great-grandchildren. Stan was 92.
Stan was buried, with military honors, at Riverside National Cemetery in California. His loving family, who treasured him greatly, was by his side. It is fitting that March AF Base is adjacent to the cemetery, with airplanes flying over.