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Visitation: 2 until 4 p.m. Saturday, October 5, 2019, at Frank & Bright Funeral Home with a Remembrance Service to begin at 3 p.m.
Lyndal “Lyn” Odessie Stanley (McVay) of Rogers, Arkansas (formerly of Flora, Illinois) died peacefully on September 23, 2019. Lyn was born on February 1, 1938 to Fred J and Minnie O (Christy) McVay in Shamrock Oklahoma.
Lyn was a lifelong educator, a published novelist, a poet, the first Clay County Illinois Fair queen and a staunch defender of the English language. She waged many battles against subject/verb disagreement, awkward sentence structure and the use of the “wretched word” ain’t. She taught for over 30 years in the Flora school district; the majority being at Xenia Grade school teaching language arts. She also served for several years as the president of the local teachers’ union.
Lyn spent her summers tutoring students and writing short stories. She spent her retirement teaching and loving her grandchildren, starting and participating in book clubs and writing novels. During her retirement she wrote several novels, one of which, ‘Nell’, can be found at amazon.com.
Lyn is survived by her two sons: Timothy Dale Stanley and his wife Tina of Fayetteville Arkansas and Mark Edward Stanley and his wife Kristine of Rogers Arkansas. She has 5 grandchildren Christina [James] Morgan, Zachary Stanley, Marek Stanley, Seth Stanley and Amanda Stanley, all of Arkansas. Two surviving sisters are Wanda [Bill] Hindle of Marthasville and Mary Ann [Terry] Pendlay of Effingham.
She was proceeded in death by her parents. Brothers Howard Lyn Mcvay (died age 4), Leonard Wayne McVay (died as infant), W. Weldon McVay of Flora. Sisters Virginia Lee Poff and Colene Levonne Herron of Washington Missouri.
A visitation will be 2 until 4 p.m. Saturday, October 5, 2019, at Frank & Bright Funeral Home in Flora with a Remembrance Service to begin at 3 p.m. Memorial donations are suggested to the Flora Wolves basketball program (600 S. Locust St. Flora, IL 62839) or will be accepted through the funeral home.
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My condolences for the loss of your great Mother, Tim and Mark. May you all be blessed with fond memories and may her soul rest in peace.
Lyn was an excellent educator. So many learned from her superb teaching. Our condolences to Tim, Mark and their families. RIP Lyn
My deepest sympathy to the family. I remember your mother fondly and truly enjoyed living across the street from you all. God Bless Jennifer
We are sorry for your loss.
I love the way this has been written and Lynn would have loved it too. She was a fine woman and I know she will be greatly missed.
She was my Mom #2 and will be missed. Grammy Lyn, as we called her, was a wonderful grandmother to our 2 boys. We loved having her live nearby and hosting grandson time often at her home. We got the honor of having her be a teacher to our boys one day a week during our 2 brief homeschooling years. Such a blessing!
We are so very sorry to hear of Lyn's passing. Our prayers are with you.
So sorry to hear this. Mrs. Stanley was a favorite teacher of mine at Xenia Grade School in the mid 70s. I can truly say that she helped me and many others broaden and build their love of Reading and writing. Her family and loved ones will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Prayers for all. Lyn loved teaching. She will be missed for sure
Very sorry to hear this.
Very nice lady. So Sorry Tim and Mark, families. May God Comfort you all.
I remember Mrs. Stanley fondly. I am certain she was determined that every child in her classroom leave that room with the capability to speak and write in a manner that would make people stand up and take notice. She cultivated a passion for writing inside of me that I carry still today. Mrs. Stanley is a teacher that I will always remember, and I have taken her teachings with me throughout my life. I have never appreciated someone more. And, I will NOT be caught saying "ain't" because "ain't ain't a word!" Thank you, Mrs. Stanley! My deepest condolences to the Stanley Family.
Very sorry to hear this. My condolences to the family.
She was my favorite grade school teacher. I am so sorry for your loss.
We are so sorry to hear of Lyn's passing. I have many good memories of Lyn as an aunt to me (Sherry). I remember one holiday when all our Stanley clan met at your house and Lyn had us playing games and also singing Christmas songs at the piano. It was an extra fun holiday. I enjoyed having Lyn for a substitute teacher a few times. She has accomplished many things in her life that will live on through her teaching and writing. Praying for you all.
Dear Family, Please accept my sincere sympathy. Lyn was a good friend, and we shared many meetings for coffee and walks together as well as letters after she left Flora. I'll always remember her with fondness. I'm thankful I was able to read some of her articles and books ( one of which was "Nell"), which I enjoyed very much.
We are terribly sorry to hear of Lyn's passing. Our daughter adored her singing in the classroom and always being so kind and cheerful. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Mrs. Stanley was a wonderful teacher and dear friend. When she moved to Ocala, she asked me to proofread a book that she wrote. What an honor! She will be missed
I had the privilege of having her for my Reading/English teacher at Xenia School. She taught me the love of reading a book and of course correcting my English...Sometimes my papers were a sea of red, but she definitely taught me the correct way to speak and write language. Believe it or not I still refer to her and hear her in my head when I am about to write a mistake. Her little rhymes have stayed with me and I have passed them on to my kids, and will do so to my grandkids. I love how you wrote her obituary...she would be laughing I am sure...I was so honored to have her as a teacher and mentor in my life. Praying you all can find peace and comfort in the days to come.
My sincere condolences with the loss of Lynn. Peace and love.
My sincere sympathy! I enjoyed teaching with Lynn. We had the same lunch hour so we had many conversations about many things, especially our boys!!
Mrs. Stanley was the first teacher to suggest I may have a future in writing/journalism. Ten years later I earned my journalism degree from SIU, and for the next several years I worked as an editor at newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you!
Mark, I was so sorry to hear of your Mother's passing. She was a brilliant lady, a sweet Mother and a very, very successful woman. I know you are proud of her and will miss her terribly. My prayers are with you and your family.
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and Cremation Services
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