Arnold "Arnie" Thomas Stancil
Arnold Thomas Stancil
Arnold "Arnie" Thomas Stancil was born March 2, 1943, and died Feb. 16, 2016.
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Arnie's children with Catherine Louise Gibson |
Ramona Lynn Stancil |
| Steven Arnold Stancil |
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Arnold "Arnie" Thomas Stancil
Family archives
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Arnold “Arnie” Thomas Stancil, Henry Branch, was born March 2, 1943, in Grayling, Michigan. He was the oldest son of Georgianna and Tommy. He joined older sister, Anemari. A few years later, brothers, George and Phil were born. They all grew up in Grayling, Michigan.
Arnie first sang before an audience in the fourth grade and never stopped. This was at a wedding. He won several amateur shows the same year and in the spring of that year, the high school senior class asked him to sing at the senior prom. This was exciting. He said, “Only downer was my folks made me take my older sister with me.” This was Anemari.
Arnie’s parents owned the Rialto Theatre, which was opened in 1915 by his grandparents George and Lelah Olson. Today the Rialto is recognized as a member of the League of Historic American Theatres, and may be the only currently and continuously owned, single screen theatre in the State of Michigan and perhaps in the United States.
Arnie started working in the theater when he was just 10 years old. For over 50 years, he had ties to the Rialto. He was proud it had remained in the family for over a century.
Arnie remembered meeting his grandfather, Walter Greene (W.G.) Stancil when he was 5. W.G. brought his wife Louise for a visit. Louise was only a couple of years older than Arnie’s dad Tommy.
In 1954, Tommy, Arnie and Anemari vacationed in Florida and stopped on the way home in Durham to visit Walter G. and Tommy’s sister Sadie who had brain cancer.
The next time Arnie saw his grandpa was in 1954 with my Dad and sister when we stopped in NC on our way home from vacation in Florida to visit Sadie who was dying at the time from a brain tumor. It was that visit in Durham when I first met Dad's original piano player, Benny Cash, who was now driving cab and playing piano nights at a Holiday Inn bar.
Arnie spent one year of high school at Bolles High School in Jacksonville, Florida. This was an internationally known military academy/boarding school founded in 1933. Arnie graduated from Grayling high school in 1961. He played the cornet in the Bolles band.
Following graduation, he entered Northwestern Michigan College, in Traverse City. He studied business administration. After two years, he transferred to the Humboldt Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. This institute was moved from Humboldt, Iowa to Minneapolis in 1916, after a disagreement over taxes. Arnie was a certified graduate of Humboldt Institute. This popular institute offered a variety of airline certifications. Arnie was hired by Ozark Airlines in Chicago. Ozark operated from 1950 to 1986, then TWA bought them.
Arnie joined the U.S. Coast Guard in October 1964. Boot Camp was in Cape May, New Jersey. For two years, he served as a journalist for the Coast Guard in New York City. During this time he covered search and rescue stories in the North Atlantic Ocean.
In 1966, Arnie was sent to the Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC. He coordinated Public Relations for the coast guard and reviewed all the media coverage of the Coast Guard.
Arnold "Arnie" Thomas Stancil with Ramona and Steve.
Family archives
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Arnold met Catherine Louise Gibson, from Riverdale County, Maryland, while with the Coast Guard stationed in Washington, D.C. Catherine was the daughter of Martin L. Gibson.
Arnold was a Petty Officer, second class in 1968, when he received an honorable discharge on October 25, 1968. Arnold and Catherine were married on Oct. 26, 1968, in Prince George’s County, Maryland. They moved to Arnie’s hometown, Grayling.
Catherine and Arnie’s children: Ramona Lynn and Steven Arnold were born there. They were married for 27 years.
Over the years Arnie worked for the Grayling Mercantile Department Store for 8 years, Bendix Corporation until the early 1980’s. In 1984, Arnie was an elected county official for 12 years.
He was a Grayling Township Supervisor and worked with the county tax assessor. He was General Manager of Grayling Regional Chamber of Commerce. Arnie was a real estate salesman.
Arnie was a member of the Michelson Memorial United Methodist Church. He inherited his father’s singing ability and was a gifted and talented musician who from an early age was eager to share his ability to sing and play music. He was in many plays and musicals. He joined the Methodist church choir and the Michelson Singers of Grayling. The Michelson Singers traveled to the outer banks of NC, Stowe, VT, Toronto, Vienna, Austria and throughout Germany. Arnie played a variety of musical instruments: trombone, trumpet, clarinet, piano, accordion, harmonica and guitar.
Arnie died at 72 on Feb. 16, 2016, at the Munson Hospice House in Traverse City, Michigan, following a heart attack.
Arnie is survived by daughter: Ramona Lynn Stancil Decker and husband Dan, son: Steven Arnold Stancil and wife Sara. Brothers; George Lee Stancil and wife Marilyn, Phillip Justin Stancil and wife Grace. Grandchildren; Michael Freese, Kristen Freese, Joshua Freese, Parker Stancil, Payton Stancil and Sydney Stancil. Nieces: Jane Elizabeth Stancil Steele and husband Brian, Laura Katherine Stancil. Nephews: Geoffrey Stancil Bichler and wife Deanna, Paul Gregory Stancil, Jordan Peter Stancil, Nicolas 'Nick' George Stancil and wife Julia, Benjamin Thomas Stancil and wife Jasmine, Phillip Justin Stancil, II. Aunt: Peggy Stancil Owen widow of Walter Leo Stancil. First Cousins: Bettie Lou Williams Graham, Robert "Bobby" Wayne Stancil, Ruth Ann Stancil Miller.
He was preceded in death by his parents: Georgianna Olson and Thomas “Tommy” Ruffin Stancil, his sister: Anemari Stancil. Aunts: Esse Stancil Williams, Sadie Stancil Gallyon, Frances Jean Stancil, Jewel Stancil. Uncles: Louis Stancil, Walter Leo Stancil. First Cousin: David Leo Stancil.
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