Obituary of James Richard Stanley

James “Jim” Stanley, age 53, of Mayer, passed away unexpectedly on April 6th, 2025.

Jim was born August 19th, 1971 to James & Lavonne Stanley in St. Louis Park, MN. Jim graduated from Hopkins High School in 1989 and made some great friends there, who he kept in touch with regularly. He attended some college courses, but ultimately started working for Midwest Rubber in the assembly and placement of conveyor belts. He was eventually promoted to supervisor and worked at Baldwin Supply in Minneapolis, MN.

In 1995, Jim met Kelly Snicker and they were married in 1998. In their 26 years of marriage, they built a beautiful life and family together. This includes building their home in 2005 in Mayer, MN. This was an ideal location for Jim due to an open field behind the house which allowed for viewing of beautiful sunsets. While living in Mayer, Jim & Kelly became deeply involved in soccer organizations in the surrounding community. After a few years living in the area, they became involved with the Crow River Soccer Organization. Hundreds of kids were coached or mentored by Jim, it was his passion and a great bonding experience with his children who also loved and played soccer with Crow River. Jim was very involved in his community and really enjoyed relating and talking to people, which included serving on the Mayer City Council for some years. Jim was the type of person that was easy to talk to and always seemed to know the right thing to say. He loved to crack jokes and have a good time. He was known for his cheerful attitude and positive outlook, which will be missed every day.

Jim spent his personal time grilling, listening to music, enjoying a bonfire, watching sports (he was a huge Vikings, Timberwolves, and Loons fan) and of course watching competition shows. Above all he loved spending time with family. He was always family first and never missed a game, concert, play, speech meet, spelling bee, graduation, or any life event! Jim took many vacations with his family. This included trips to soccer tournaments, Florida, and he finally made it to Texas after much anticipation. As some may know, he refused to travel by air, so all of these were cross-country road trips. These road trips allowed him to see the country and many historical landmarks. He always stated that he wanted to see all 50 states, or at least the 48 he could drive to! He came up only a few short.

Jim inspired both his family and friends in how he battled cancer. He was first diagnosed in January of 2016, his prognosis was poor, but he came through and was cancer free for the 4 following years. In 2020, Jim was re-diagnosed with the same cancer that had spread to his brain. He had a remarkable response to the medicine he was taking, and survived progression free for 4 more years. At this time, most may not have known that he was still battling cancer due to him being just as involved as ever in the community and his family life. He was intentional in shielding his disease from his children so they would stay positive and live life as free as possible. In November of 2024, the cancer had spread to his spinal cord. The treatment was challenging, but ultimately his death was unexpected and the exact cause is unknown.

Jim was predeceased by his beloved mother Lavonne Stanley. He is survived by: wife Kelly Stanley, father James Stanley and spouse Marcia Stanley, father-in-law Thomas Snicker and spouse Julie Snicker, brother Dave Hurne and spouse Keri Hurne, sister-in-law Tammy Daun and spouse Brian Daun, sister-in-law Tracy Snicker, his 4 children Ryan Michaletz and spouse Nikki Girgen, Katelyn Stanley, Julia Stanley, and Payton Stanley, 7 nieces and nephews, and many dear friends.

Services will be held at Westwood Community Church in Chanhassen, MN, May 1st. Visitation will be at 10 am, Service at 11 am, with a reception to follow. Any and all are invited and encouraged to come and celebrate Jim's amazing life.