Posted on 01/28/2019
Stanley McGee Cecil passed away with family at his bedside in Massachusetts on January 17 at the age of 92. He was a man with a sharp and independent mind, a generous spirit, and a lively wit. He was an engaged st eward of his communities, devoted to our natural environment, and loved animals. A Kentuckian born on February 23rd, 1926, he was one of six children of Gerald and Mildred Cecil of Ft. Thomas. The Senior Class President at Highland High School, he then attended the U.S. Naval Academy, becoming a Naval Officer in 1946. Stan married Ann Gano of Ft. Thomas in 1950. He received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School after leaving the Navy. Recalled to duty, he served on a destroyer overseas during the Korean War. He then returned to Cincinnati, joining the First National Bank and earning an LL.B. degree from the Chase College of Law. He became Senior Vice President of the bank until retiring in 1978. He and Ann moved to Olympia, Washington. He took on new roles, fulfilling his passion for the outdoors and environmental preservation. He hiked, canoed, and camped throughout the Northwest, including a dramatic adventure being caught downwind of Mt. St. Helens the day it erupted. He was devoted to his canine companions, Isabelle and Molly. His participation in the Black Hills Audubon Society led to his appointment to the Board of the Washington Environmental Council and became its President. A board member of Nisqually Delta Association, he was proud of his role in the pivotal campaign that preserved this beautiful river delta ecology. They resettled in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 1996, where Ann passed away in 2001. Stan remained very active in the Unitarian church they both loved, the First Religious Society of Newburyport. He is survived by his sister Deborah Andrews of Cincinnati and his three children, Sarah of Marblehead, MA, Steven of Dedham, MA, and John of Falmouth, MA. He had 5 grandchildren and his great granddaughter, whose recent arrival brought him great joy. He leaves strong memories of an independent soul who lived a life of his own choosing. Donations may be made to the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
Published in The Olympian on Jan. 27, 2019