Remembering Aileen Stanley
My name is Matthew Metcalf, I am one of Aileen Blackwell Stanley’s 11 grandchildren. We are here today to honor the life and legacy of my lovely Grandmother, a woman who always embodied kindness & extended compassion towards everyone she ever met. In a world shrouded in darkness my Grandmother was a light.
She pierced through the dark armed only with her warm smile and laugh. Behind that smile was the quiet strength of a strong, hard working woman who never let her circumstances take away the deep abiding joy she had, a joy that was firmly rooted in her faith in Christ.
My Grandmother was born the daughter of a saw mill worker on September 21, 1931 in Brevard, NC. Throughout her years growing up into a young woman she would become acquainted with the hardships of life. She watched her house burn down one cold night when she was 16, survived a tornado, helped her mother raise her younger sisters, and learned to live life with little money or possessions. Through all of this and more Aileen’s joy persevered through her strength, kindness and faith.
This remained true when she moved into a small 3 bedroom/1 bath house at 1 Parker Road with her four children, her mother Hattie, all three of her sisters Betty, Myrtle, and Shirley and all four of Betty’s children. 13 total in that one small house. This might explain why they are all a bit crazy today. But, in all seriousness, no matter the cost to herself my Grandmother always took care of her children & family. They were her life.
Her love for family is what, I believe, fueled her passion for cooking. She loved to eat and to share a meal with those she loved. Her chicken & dumplin’s, apple butter, and jams were an extension of her love and a grace to all of us who were ever lucky enough to enjoy them. It is also why I was so shocked as a kid when she suggested making hot dogs for dinner near Christmas-time one year. I quickly exclaimed “Hot dogs?! Nanny’s don’t make hot dogs!” to which she only could respond with laughter. I knew how good of a cook Nanny was.
She was not only an expert cook but a keen seamstress who could fix any tear, rip, or blowout you brought to her. Almost all of her passions & skills in life were aimed towards serving others. Even in her love of music and gardening, she was always looking for ways to include those she loved. No matter what she did, she loved to laugh deeply and freely.
She loved each person in her life unconditionally and sacrificially, always putting the concerns and care of others before herself. This love is one of her greatest legacies because I can honestly tell all of you here today that she loved each and every one of you with her whole heart. So whether you called her sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, nanny, or friend know that Aileen Stanley loved you, she believed in you, and she always wanted the best for you.
Even in the last month of her life, as she sat in the hospital, she was always more concerned about the well-being of others over her own. It was in those final weeks that we witnessed the legacy of her selfless love and compassion. As her family sacrificially loved and cared for her. This especially true of my mother and her daughter Debbie, her son Butch, her sister Myrtle, and her niece Tina who stood by Nanny’s side throughout her entire time in the hospital. They cared for her when she was unable to care for herself. I think I speak for the entire family when I say thank you to each of you. Without you Nanny would never have received the care she deserved after so many years of selflessly serving others.
In the end, the Lord saw fit to call Nanny home to glory after 87 well lived years.
Death took her from this world but it was not victorious over her.
She took her last breath on earth only to feel the shackles of this world loosen and see the face of the one in whom all manner of pain, brokenness, and suffering have their end. Jesus Christ her creator, savior and Lord has ransomed Nanny from this broken world and given her new life and breath that will never end.
She now knows what the resurrection feels like from the other side.
I know that she is smiling and laughing. Her joy is complete.
We love you Nanny.
Thank you, for everything.
