Stanley William Colenso
8/22/1942 – 6/17/2025
Stanley William Colenso passed away peacefully with his wife Val by his side on June 17th, 2025. He was 82. The only child of Stanley G. and Marie J. Colenso, he was born in Butte, Montana, on August 22, 1942. He attended Sacred Heart Elementary School through the eighth grade, and then attended Butte Central High School. He later transferred to Butte High School. He was a proud “Butte Rat” and loved Butte to his core. He would tell anyone who asked that it was the “Best Place on Earth,” and if you disagreed, “You were wrong.”
Stan wanted to leave home and see the world, so he joined the Navy in October 1960. He served proudly aboard the USS Yorktown as a Yeoman in helicopter maintenance administration, stationed in Long Beach and San Diego, CA. He left the Navy in 1964 with the rank of Petty Officer 3rd Class and an abundance of memories of his time on board.
After the Navy, Stan attended Montana Tech in Butte. He then went to the University of Washington for a Summer intensive in French. That fall he transferred to the University of Montana. It was here, while walking to class in a winter storm with Hellgate winds roaring through the canyon, he thought to himself that he could be in San Diego where it was warm instead, so he transferred to San Diego State University, where he received his BA in Political Science with a minor in Economics.
It was there that Stan met Val, the woman who would become his wife. He said it was love at first sight. They were married September 1, 1975, and shortly after he went to work for the San Diego County Department of Health and Human Services. Their family grew with the birth of their son Devon, and their joy grew again again when their son John was born.
While Stan loved San Diego, Montana was calling, and so the family moved to Butte. Within the year he got a job at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, however, so the family moved again. It was here that their daughter Jennifer was born. Montana continued its hold, however, so after three years the family moved back to Butte, where they remained for the next 16 years. He found employment at the Montana State Department of Health and Human Services, where he worked hard to get people the benefits they needed. He was fierce in his advocacy for the poor and homeless and was instrumental in getting HRDC and Montana Power to develop outreach programs for Food Stamps and heating assistance.
While living in Butte, Stan also volunteered with several groups advocating for low-income Montanans, including the Butte Community Union, the Montana Low-Income Coalition, and the Hunger and Homelessness Coalition. He also volunteered as a tutor for the Butte Literacy Program-Literacy Volunteers of America, helping adults get their GED. During this time their daughters Karin and Sarah were born, completing their family.
After seven years with DHHS, Stan went back to school to follow his true calling, attending Western Montana College to get his degree in teaching. Upon graduation, he substituted in Butte before getting a job in Watsonville, California, teaching history and government. The family stayed behind in Butte while Val completed the requirements to enter ministry with the United Methodist Church, and Stan rejoined the family the following year when she received her first appointment to Bridger and Fromberg, Montana. He worked as a substitute teacher at schools in both communities, and later in Plentywood and Scobey, Montana, when Val was appointed there. Stan retired from teaching in 2005 while in Plentywood. Stan and Val moved with additional appointments to Cascade, Montana, Fountain, Colorado, and finally to East Helena.
Stan loved teaching, and he was good at it. He was highly intelligent, qualifying for MENSA, and absolutely loved to share his encyclopedic knowledge and stories with anyone who would listen. He especially loved baseball (Go Cardinals!), history (in particular the Civil War, WWI and II, and aviation), and sports in general, following soccer, Utah Jazz basketball and New York Rangers hockey. He spent many hours playing entire baseball seasons – statistics and all – with his APBA Baseball game. Stan also spent many enjoyable hours over the years playing Farm Town and tending his 28 fields. He was a voracious reader, had a keen interest in politics, and loved to listen to classical, jazz, and world music. Fluent in French, he also spoke a smattering of Spanish, Italian, Latin, and German.
Stan’s faith was important to him, and he was a strong supporter of Val’s ministry. He was a faithful member of the Clancy United Methodist Church; when he was unable to attend in person, you would always see him tuning in online.
Stan loved to travel. He wouldn’t fly, so he and Val drove throughout the United States and Canada, and he loved telling stories about their travels, highlights of which included Fort Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, Montmorency Falls in Quebec, Niagara Falls, New Orleans, and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He traveled to St. Louis a few times to watch Cardinals baseball, but also enjoyed trips to Seattle and Denver to watch the Mariners and the Rockies games. As his health failed and it became harder for him to get out, he spent a lot of time on Facebook, where he was a member of several specialized groups and made many online friends. He was especially proud of being invited to join a group of former baseball players, authors, historians, and sports writers, where he was able to keep up with the best of them.
Stan leaves behind his wife of 49 years, five children, and ten grandchildren, and several long-time friends.
Stan was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley G. Colenso and Marie J. Colenso Alger. He is survived by his wife Val; sons Devon (Crystal), of Broadview, MT, and John (Nikki), of Cookeville, TN; daughters Jennifer (Scott) Morstad of Billings, MT, Karin (Justus) Thorgramson of Billings, MT, and Sarah Colenso of Missoula, MT; and by grandchildren Zane and Johnathan Colenso, Aislyn Colenso, Noah Colenso, Parker, Zoey, Aliyah, and Jackson Morstad, Charlotte Thorgramson, and Amelia Colenso. He also leaves behind long-time friends John Dodge, Mike Gerow, Morris Motale, and Jayne Humfleet.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, July 28th at the Clancy United Methodist Church at 11:00 a.m, with a reception to follow.
Memorials may be sent to the Clancy and Boulder United Methodist Churches, the Lewis and Clark Humane Society, the Helena Food Bank, or the Helena Symphony and Chorale.
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