Parents

Stan and Dolly, with Angelique & Aaron

Stan enjoyed life, he enjoyed work, and he enjoyed being with and supporting his family.  In the months prior to WWII he joined the Kings African Rifles, spending time in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika training the people to fight for a free world.  During training Stan broke his leg badly, and was unable to continue his instruction.  Still in the KAR he worked for the quartermaster and quickly rose in rank, becoming the youngest warrant officer in the British Army. A bright future in the military awaited him, but it was not to be.  Stan left the army at the end of the war to return to the love of his life Dolly Stock, they were married and soon a son was on the way.  Stan loved the outdoors and especially gardening, manor houses nearby required lots of garden work due to the abundance of rain and the ideal conditions for growth,  so Stan took a job  gardening for the manor which came with a 'tied' house.  This lifestyle would become Stan's life until he died.  Stan loved to play golf with his children James, Richard, and Chris, even though he had pain in his feet he was happy to walk around the golfcourse, rain or shine.  While Stan was in the army, Dolly volunteered at the local hospital bringing a positive attitude to all who worked with her.  Dot was no slacker in the gardening department, the homes she lived in always had vibrant splashes of well coordinated color, most often the envy of the street.  The time spent in the Hospital must have tempered her for life with 'challenging' children, who were always finding ways to get themselves into trouble.   Not only did she treat her children with love no matter how much trouble they were in, she had to deal with Stan who  took his Vespa scooter completely apart in the living room in front of the fire.  Cooking for family was her specialty, the house was always filled with relatives who had driven far for a taste of her famous chocolate cake.

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