Mamie Stanley

“My Grace is Sufficient”…. And so it was for Mamie Marie Stanley on March 12, 2015; whereas, she departed this life to continue her spiritual journey with her Lord and Savior. Mamie Marie Stanley was the daughter of the late Carvilla (Carrie) Johns and Peter Johns. She was born in Dorchester County, November 22, 1916. She grew up in Hurlock, Maryland and was educated in the elementary and secondary schools of Dorchester County. At the age of twelve she accepted Christ as her Savior, becoming a member of Washington Methodist Church in Hurlock, Maryland. From that day on for the next eighty-six years she advocated, lived and committed her life to God. Mamie Stanley espoused love and spirituality. She practiced humility, embraced dignity and allowed gratitude to unlock the fullness in her life. It was those constellations that formed the choices of her life and sustained the veracity that powered her engine of spiritual growth. She joined in matrimony with the Rev. George L. Stanley and was married for sixty-four years until his passing in August 2000. God being the source of her life made it easy for her to embrace the responsibilities of a pastor’s wife – a journey she used to encourage and teach many people about the power of God’s love and how to travel along God’s pathway. Through the ministries of Methodist churches in Dorchester, Caroline, Talbot and Queen Anne’s counties, she led by example nurturing others to active Christian service. Mamie Stanley, with amazing grace, had the ability to nurture each spiritual relationship in ways that endeared even the skeptical. Her formal evangelistic training prepared her to become a founding member of an ecumenical Eastern Shore Evangelistic Society. She was also blessed to be a delegate or representative of the Delaware Conference (Tindley Temple – Philadelphia, PA) and later the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church for more than 50 years. Her determined, bold, indomitable spirit, resilience, joy and humor inspired many. Her family and friends will continue to keep alive glimmers of her wisdom expressed through assured truths that only the longevity of ninety-eight years on this earth can provide. She willingly often reminded others that in life “It’s not what you lose; it’s how you use what you have left”. Her life as a citizen of Maryland was highlighted by numerous awards, proclamations, citations, Governor’s Honors, congressional, and senatorial recognitions. As recent as 2013, she was honored by the Maryland State Department of Aging with an Unsung Hero Citation. At the age of ninety-six, she was honored at the Art Academy Museum (Easton, MD) for hand making a silk scarf… that honor remains posted at the Maryland State Arts Museum (Baltimore, MD). In March 2011, she was featured in a book titled…In a Different Light – Reflections and Beauty of Wise Women of Color, authored by Dorothy Bailey. She greatly appreciated all honors and awards and recently received one of the 4th Annual Black List Awards given by Ministers and Citizens for Change, Inc. However, she especially cherished the Hurlock United Methodist Church, Christian Love and Nurture Service Award. We will always remember our beloved Matriarch - her spirit in our service to God; her soul in the warmth of our prayers; and her stature throughout our journey. Mamie Marie Stanley is survived by five children: Evelyn Sampson of Hurlock, MD; George Stanley, Jr. of Boston, Massachusetts; Gloria Henry (William) of Hurlock, MD; Thelma Sterrett of Heathrow, Florida; and Geraldine Pauls (William) of Chestertown, MD; twenty-two grandchildren; twenty-nine great-grandchildren; and twenty-three great-great grandchildren. She is also survived by one sister – Janet Moore (Mechanicsville, MD); two stepsisters – Rosie Johns and Alyce Johns, both of Philadelphia, PA; loving in-laws; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. George L. Stanley; eight brothers: Calvin, Artera, Sidney, Edward, Rudolph, Truxson, Cecil and Dewitt; and five sisters: Edna, Carvilla, Pearl, Bernice and Elenora. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mamie Stanley, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Mamie Stanley

November 22, 1916 - March 12, 2015