World War II veteran Stanley F. Stanley was a radio operator aboard a B-24 bomber, and his tours of duty took him to the European Theater, with multiple bombing raids on Berlin and surrounding territories. He died on Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 106 years old. (U.S. Air Force)
(Tribune News Service) — Another member of America’s “Greatest Generation” has died.
Stanley F. Stanley died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday at Brookdale Assisted Living in Manlius, N.Y.
He was 106 years old.
The World War II veteran was inducted into the New York State Veterans Hall of Fame in 2014 after State Senator John DeFrancisco read his harrowing 14-month ordeal in Holland after his B-24 was hit by enemy fire during a raid on Berlin on Syracuse.com.
“I am proud to honor this brave veteran for all of his sacrifices and contributions,” DeFrancisco said then.
“I feel very honored,” Stanley replied.
He was born in Ambridge, Penn., on Sept. 19, 1919. When he was two years old, he moved with his family to Liverpool where he grew up on a family farm.
He spent the rest of his life living in Syracuse and Onondaga County.
According to newspaper archives, Stanley graduated from Syracuse Vocational High in 1937. Five years later, at age 22, Stanley was drafted into the United States Army Air Force, completing basic training in Atlantic City, N.J., and flight training in Pueblo, Colo.
He was a radio operator aboard a B-24 bomber, and his tours of duty took him to the European Theater, with multiple bombing raids on Berlin and surrounding territories.
He and his crew successfully completed ten missions before their ill-fated 11th. On March 8, 1944, Stanley’s B-24 bomber was hit by enemy fire over Berlin, Germany.
“I remember looking out, and the sky was black with flak, and as the metal explodes it has jagged edges,’’ Stanley told syracuse.com in 2014. “We couldn’t fly with our formation anymore, and as we fell behind, we were attacked by enemy fighter planes.”
With two of its four engines destroyed and holes in the fuselage, wing and back of the plane, the crew knew they were going down, Stanley said.
“I thought we were going into the North Sea, where it was so cold we would have all been killed,” he said.
Instead, the plane crashed in Friesland, a German-held Dutch province.
The nine crew members found shelter in an empty barn.
“We covered ourselves with potato bags, and about 5 a.m. we approached a farmer, who gave us breakfast,’’ Stanley said. “When we noticed his helper take off, we got worried he was turning us in, so we left.”
Elizabeth Doran, a reporter for Syracuse.com, wrote this about their escape:
“The crewmen were then sheltered by the Dutch Resistance in a remote farm where they were given civilian clothes and traditional wooden shoes to wear. Resistance members arrived and moved them to a houseboat, which they thought was safer. The group spent eight days on the small, dark and cold boat. Their next move forced all nine crewmen to pack into the back seat of a car for a night-long journey. The front seat was occupied by two men wearing German uniforms - Dutch Resistance fighters in disguise.”
“When safely transported, the airmen split into groups to evade capture. Stanley and one other crew member stayed together, hiding above a grocery store, in a tavern, and in several farmhouses. One hiding spot was a chamber behind a large dresser, and another featured a secret opening cut into the wall of an attic. Stanley built a box with a trap door covered by bushes so they could hide outdoors.”
Stanley miraculously evaded capture for 14 months until the Canadian Liberation of Holland in 1945. He learned of the German surrender at an English camp.
“It was then that I was able to call my family, and tell everyone I was alive,” Stanley said in 2014. “When we got to the Statue of Liberty, I saw it for the first time, and I also saw all these people waiting to greet us. Many times, I didn’t think I would make it, so I was elated!”
He held the position of technical sergeant when he was discharged from the military on Sept. 27, 1945.
According to his obituary, Stanley received an Air Medal and three Oak Leaf Clusters for his bravery.
The details of the crash of the “Yankee Rebel Harmony,” and the subsequent rescue and hiding of its crew, are well documented by the Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
Upon returning to Syracuse, he enjoyed a successful career as a clerk for the U.S. Postal Service for 33 years.
According to a 1962 Post-Standard article, Stanley received a $15 prize for his “money-saving idea” of anchoring electric cords to tables that the postage meters sat on.
He retired in 1976 as Postmaster of Chittenango.
During his fifty years of retirement, Stanley enjoyed bowling, golfing and gardening and staying close to home.
“He was a humble, quiet, yet remarkable man, preferring to teach more by example than with words,” his obituary said. “Although he never spoke of his war-time experiences for most of his adult life, he remained steadfastly devoted to his country. Only in more recent years would he enjoy telling his war stories to all who would listen. He instilled a profound sense of pride and patriotism in all who knew him.”
Stanley was predeceased by his first wife, Sophie, who passed away in 1950, and by his second wife, Dorothy, in 2016, and all six of his siblings.
He is survived by his sons Richard (Michele), Donald and James, grandson Michael and several nieces and nephews.
As per his wishes, there will be no calling hours.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at Eaton-Tubbs Fayetteville Chapel, 7191 E. Genesee St. in Fayetteville, N.Y. Burial will be at Immaculate Conception Cemetery.
A Memorial Mass will be held later at the convenience of the family.
His family wishes a “special thanks” to the caring staff at Brookdale Manlius, and his long-time physicians, Dr. Robert Cupelo and Dr. Erika Hegland.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made in Stanley’s name to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Salt Springs St., Fayetteville, N.Y., 13066.
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit syracuse.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
