Otis Daniel Stanley's Obituary
Otis Daniel Stanley, 87, of Windham, NH passed away on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024. He was born on April 13, 1937, to Ruby (Harrell) and James A. Stanley. Otis was raised in Radford, Virginia and Lebanon, Pennsylvania. After high school, Otis joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955, working in air traffic control.
After his years in the Air Force, Otis gave his life to Jesus Christ and began working in ministry in the state of Virginia. His Pastor encouraged him to attend Bible college, so in 1961 Otis enrolled at Northeast Bible Institute (now the University of Valley Forge). Soon after his arrival, he became smitten with a fellow student from the Bronx named Ruth Rios. They were married in 1962 and after welcoming their son Daniel and graduating in 1965, Otis and Ruth moved to New Jersey where Otis served as an assistant pastor in the city of Patterson. In 1967 the family moved to the Boston area where daughter Serena joined the family, and where Otis received his master’s degree from Eastern Nazarene College. While in Boston, Otis served as Director of Urban Ministries and pastor of Roslindale Assembly of God. He also served as summer camp director in Charlton, MA.
After nine years of ministry in Boston, Otis became pastor of Leominster Assembly of God. He served in that role for 13 years, growing the church from a congregation of 125 to over 800 people and overseeing the building of a new church sanctuary. After his pastoral role in Leominster, Otis moved to the Assemblies of God Southern New England District Office, serving as Secretary-Treasurer in 1989 and then District Superintendent, ministering for 10 years as a pastor to the pastors of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
After retiring in 2007, Otis and Ruth moved to Fort Myers, enjoying reading, travel, visiting their grandsons, and relaxing in the Florida sunshine. In recent years, they moved to Windham, NH to be closer to family. This also made it easier for Otis to follow the Red Sox and the Patriots.
Otis’s life was one dedicated to loving his family, growing spiritually, and making disciples for Jesus. Multitudes of people across Southern New England have been affected directly and indirectly by his service to the Kingdom of God.
Otis will be deeply missed by his son, Pastor Daniel Stanley and his daughter, Serena Ruth Morin, and their respective spouses, Christina and Daniel. and his wife Christina; his daughter, Serena Ruth Morin and her husband Daniel; his grandchildren, Samuel Stanley and Blouin Morin; his brothers, Jim and Ken Stanley; as well as several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Otis was predeceased by his beloved wife of 61 years, Ruth (Rios) Stanley and his brother Jerry Stanley.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, May 29, at 11:00am at the Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 1589 Colonial Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33907, (239) 936-0555. A memorial service is planned for Saturday, July 27 at 11:00am at the Southern New England of the Assemblies of God Network Office, 307 Sturbridge Rd. in Charlton, MA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the “Raise the Roof Fund” of Riverside Assembly of God, 15 Lowell Boulevard, Methuen, MA 01844.
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