James "Jim" Stanis

James “Jim” Stanis (formerly Stanizewski), a perpetual early riser on earth, got an early start to his first day in heaven on Thursday, April 23rd, 2026. He passed away at the crack of dawn at his home in Sterling Heights, MI with his adoring wife of over 51 years, Kay, by his side. Jim is also survived by his three children Jason (Lina), Jim (Mika), and Jennifer (Jeremy), six grandchildren (Matas, Tadas, Meagan, Emma, Mickey, and Oscar), and brother John. Jim was preceded in death by his father John, mother Catherine Stiller (Walt) and sister Susan. Jim was 73 years old, born in Hamtramck in 1953. He was raised on the east side of Detroit, where he had perfect attendance from Kindergarten through his graduation from Pershing High School in 1971. Shortly after, he met his first love, Kay, and they married in 1974. In their early years together they enjoyed the outdoors, camping and canoeing up north, summer nights in the bleachers at Tiger Stadium, and winters rinkside at Olympia. Jim worked hard his whole life, getting an early start delivering newspapers by bicycle at 12, and fast food as a teen. As an adult, Jim never shied away from night shifts or physically demanding work. He spent years working on manufacturing lines, running printing presses, and driving a forklift. He was also ahead of his time and shared the load at home to raise his kids and maintain the household. One of Jim’s proudest achievements as a father was ensuring all three of his children finished college, as he did not have this opportunity. Jim was always the first to lend a hand to his friends and family, whether it was building a cottage up north, painting the house, shoveling the snow, or moving his children in and out of college dorms and their own family homes as they got older. Through all of that, Jim passed on to his children an appreciation of and commitment to a job well done. The best evidence of this is how well he cared for his lawn; the grass is literally greener at Jim’s house. Jim also instilled a lifelong love of golf and bowling with his children and grandchildren but based on his tremendous skill, will still likely be the all-time greatest golfer and bowler in the Stanis family tree. He stayed extremely active even in later years where he enjoyed racking up the mileage on his bicycle and golfed as much as possible with his best friend Joe. Jim was a big guy, standing at over 6’4”, but had an even bigger heart. He was a dog lover, with three long-time canine companions over the years (Tanya, Rusty, and Max). He was never prouder than as a grandpa who supported his granddaughters at every soccer and softball game, vocal concert and dance performance. He enjoyed being with his grandsons in Virginia for many of their proudest moments in school, sports, and scouting. He enjoyed playing blocks and kitchen with the youngest grandsons as much as teaching the teenaged boys how to play Euchre and watching or attending Detroit Tigers, Lions, and Pistons games together. Jim’s battle with cancer was intense, but thankfully short. In the few short weeks from his diagnosis until his passing, he was surrounded by his family and showered with love and support. A memorial will be held on Saturday, May 9th at Mandziuk & Son Funeral Directors, Inc. 3801 18 Mile Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48314 from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM with a short service starting at 2:00 PM. Following the service, the family will host a reception at Cherry Creek Golf Club (52000 Cherry Creek Dr, Shelby Township, MI 48316), from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. The family kindly asks those planning to attend to RSVP online. https://www.evite.com/event/010FIIAE4SKDAAJRYEPRIHDEBDQBSQ?utm_campaign=send_sharable_link&utm_source=evitelink&utm_medium=sharable_invite In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (https://pancan.org).

James "Jim" Stanis

January 8, 1953 - April 23, 2026