Ruth Marie Stanley

Please join us for a Celebration of Life honoring Ruth Marie Stanley on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM. The graveside service will take place at Sunset Memorial Chapel, 7601 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321.

Ruth Marie Stanley, age 96, passed away peacefully on September 11, 2025. Born on June 3, 1929, Ruth lived a life full of love, resilience, and creativity. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Ruth is survived by her brother and sister, Mike Nicholson and Barbara Gronwold; her sons Tim (Cindy) Stanley and Mark (Michelle) Stanley; and her many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ethel and Bill Nicholson; her siblings Mary Grimes and Bill Nicholson; her husband LeRoy Stanley; her sons Steven, Daniel, Greg, and Jeff; grandchildren Tara, Jeffery, Jeremy, Steven; and great-grandchild Steven Tyler.

Ruth was a mother to six boys, raising them through hard work and endless creativity. She made her own way in life - growing and selling flowers, canning vegetables, raising rabbits, chickens, chihuahuas, you name it, she’s done it. She shared a passion of sewing and quilting, a gift she learned from her mother and grandmother. She made blankets for the homeless, was always helping with the grandkids with scouts, ball and she passed on her passion for reading to all the kids.

Her life was a masterpiece of love, family, and devotion. Thank you for loving us and for teaching us that you don’t need anything to have everything!

Psalms 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not stride your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”