Orville Stanton

Orville Earl Stanton, 91, was born in Waxahachie, TX on January 17, 1931, and hitched a motorcycle ride for Heaven in the early morning hours of July 26, 2022.

My Dad was lovingly cared for by Chatty Cathy Caring For Your Seniors (Angela Allen, Kathy, Melissa, Jessica and Camilla) as well as by Bristol Hospice Pathways' caring staff.

Orville served in the Army from 1950-1951 then became a Mess Sergeant in the 49th Armored Division Texas National Guard Armory in Waxahachie for several decades. He loved giving orders and was a really good cook, mainly liking to make meatloaf.

In 1960, Orville trained at the Dallas Police Academy to then join the Dallas Police Department. After doing time on “the streets,"  he chose to be a Resource Officer at Thomas Jefferson High School (known as TJ) in Dallas where he had an office and worked with and formed close bonds with school Principal, Mr. Pat Fowler, and Mickey Poteet, also in the TJ office. Orville mentored numerous TJ students with risky home lives in steering clear of trouble and to follow a path toward helping people. The Dallas Police Department and folks at TJ were as much family to Orville as his blood family.

In 1950, Orville married Gail Marie Anderson of Detroit, MI, and they had one child twelve years later, Mary Elizabeth (later legally changed to Mare Kelwyn). Orville and Gail divorced in 1968 and he took his young daughter with him. In 1970 he married Aleathea "Rusty" Russell. They divorced in 1998.

Orville retired twice, once in 1996 and again in 1998. Upon his final retirement, Orville joined The Coffee Posse at Whataburger in Waxahachie. Orville had many friends, those that he grew up with and new people he took under his wing daily. He also continued close relationships with his first cousins and much of his family.

For 21 years Orville read for the Waxahachie Independent School District on D.E.A.R. Day (Drop Everything and Read); the last 10 years for Mrs. Teresa Hall’s class at Clift Elementary School.

Orville was a longstanding member of Masonic Lodge No. 90 in Waxahachie and a member of Farley Street Baptist Church for 52 years. He was a beloved musician and songwriter and, until a few years ago, was an active member of Farley Street Baptist Church’s in-house band, On Bended Knee, where he played guitar and sang, even introducing songs he wrote.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Heart Association, The American Diabetes Association, The March of Dimes,  the Waxahachie Independent School District D.E.A.R. Program or to Mrs. Teresa Hall’s class.