Stanley York

MADISON - Stanley York, age 92, died on Sunday, July 21, 2024. He was born on Aug. 29, 1931, in Milwaukee, Wis., and married Emily. A. Loucks of Beloit, Wis., on June 20, 1953.  

He is survived by his wife, Emily, and their three children, Cynthia L. “Cindy” York of Madison Wis., Douglas C. York and his wife, Margaret (Meg Scott) York of Warrens, Wis., and Elizabeth “Betsy” York and her partner, Timothy N. Sprecher of Lake Mills Wis.; three grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one-great-great grandchild. He is also survived by his sister, Shirley Anderson of Madison, Wis.; his brother, John Avery York of Edmeston, N.Y.; and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Wilford D. York, his mother, Margaret R. York, and brother, Wilford D. York Jr.

Stanley graduated from Wauwatosa (Wisconsin) High School in 1949, received a Bachelor of Arts from Beloit College in 1953, and a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in 1957. He was ordained in the Congregational Church in 1956 in York Beach, Maine, and served in the Congregational (UCC) churches in York Beach, Maine (1955-1957), Berlin and Redgranite, Wis. (1957-1962), and River Falls, Wis. (1962-1970).

He was always interested in public service and ran for and served in the Wisconsin State Assembly for two terms in 1967 and 1969.

Continuing his life of public service, he was appointed to various state offices and commissions by five different governors between 1970-1997. He served as a commissioner in the Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations, as Director of the Wisconsin Office of Emergency Energy Assistance, as chair of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, as Executive Assistant in the Wisconsin Department of Health and Social Services, and as Director of the Winnebago, Wisconsin Mental Health Institute; and on many regional and national bodies relating to these assignments.

Outside of state government, he served as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin (although he is no longer affiliated with a particular political party), the Wisconsin Association of Homes for the Aging, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, and Wellspring for Innovative Services, an organization whose objective is to enhance the quality of nursing home resident care. Also during this time, he attended the University of Wisconsin Law School and received his Juris Doctorate in 1987 to better understand the laws impacting those he served.

He served as Chair and Executive Director of the Midwest Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission, and as Treasurer and Chair of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum (national).

As a volunteer, he served on the Board of Directors of City Hospital in River Falls, Wis., and Deaconess/Good Samaritan Hospital in Milwaukee. He served on the Board of Directors of Fairhaven in Whitewater, Wis.; in many capacities and on many committees for the United Way of Dane County; as chair of a committee reviewing deaths at state mental health and DD facilities.  

He loved boating and he was a pontoon driver for the Madison School and Community Recreation (MSCR) program every summer for 15 years.

Most recently he was very active at Oakwood Village University Woods. He served on the Oakwood’s Board of Directors for nine years, established and worked in a durable goods lending closet for the residents of Oakwood, volunteered with the Hospice program, and participated in the Friday Morning Coffee group.

A Celebration of Life Reception will be held at Oakwood Village University Woods 6205 Mineral Point Road, Madison, in the Heritage Nakoma/Westmoreland Room from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Oakwood Foundation, 6209 Mineral Point Rd, Suite 200, Madison WI 53705 or online through the charity’s secure website. Oakwood Foundation’s website:  www.oakwoodfoundationinc.org. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West
Funeral & Cremation Care
7435 University Ave.
(608) 831-6761