Music has always been a big part of Stanley’s life. As a very young child, he can remember the joy of singing along with records and tapes. He enjoyed listening to many different groups, but always had a strong preference for male voice groups. Several very early favorites were the Living Stones Quartet (he memorized quite a few of their recordings!) Tri-State Men’s Chorus (still pulls them out when in need of a boost!) the Eight Singing Men (Welcome, to the Valley Cathedral!) and of course, the Voice of Praise. But by far the group that has inspired and shaped his music tastes the most was the King’s Heralds, as shown by his collection of more than 70 of their albums.

Stanley is married to Lydia (Stoner) and they have 5 daughters. They enjoy working together as a family in their pond and patio business. They also enjoy traveling together. Stanley says, “What a blessing to have a loving, godly wife. She is a source of daily inspiration to me. And I love my daughters too. It’s a real joy to see them growing up and choosing to follow God!”

Stanley met the Voice of Praise members in person at a program in the summer of 2011 and was immediately impressed by the sincerity with which the group sang. He says, “These men were very concerned that their music would not entertain, but would lead us to worship and would point us to God. This was so refreshing and touched my heart.” Afterwards, he jokingly told Josh Good he wants to replace him when he retires.

Well, about a year and a half later, while Stanley and his family were serving as missionaries in Colombia, South America he received an email that made his heart pound. It was from Jon Zehr, telling him that Josh was retiring and asking if he would audition to fill his place. Stanley says, “At first I thought this was a joke. It could never happen! But then I began to think… maybe, just maybe God was answering my prayer to be somehow, somewhere, someday involved in a music ministry.

Stanley is very thankful for the gentle way God has worked to bring him to a close relationship with his Lord. He feels a great indebtedness to God for being so merciful to him and his goal is to inspire others to learn to know God in a real and loving way.