William F. Stanley, Former Waltham Mayor, Dies at 76

The following is from Joyce Funeral Home.

The Honorable William F. Stanley, former Mayor of Waltham, died on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 with family by his side in St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton. He was 76.

Mayor Stanley was born in Waltham on June 25, 1937, the oldest of two boys born to the late Harold F. and Mary M. (Swanton) Stanley, and had been a lifelong resident.

In 1975, Mayor Stanley was first elected to the Waltham City Council and 10 years later became the mayor of Waltham, a position he held until his retirement in 2000. During his tenure as chief executive, he revitalized downtown Waltham and also restored the Waltham Public Library. He was active in all aspects of the community and 26 years ago he started the Waltham Partnership for Youth. He was not alone in these endeavors, his family and especially his wife, Roberta, were always by his side. He left a lasting impact on the community and in an interview with the Waltham News Tribune in 2013 stated, "There is a satisfaction in knowing that we made the city a little better during my tenure." He was a modest mayor.

The mayor's commitment to the city was recognized by the dedication of the revitalized senior center on Main Street and a new elementary school on South Street in his honor.

Besides his beloved wife, Roberta A. (Bryson) Stanley, he leaves his children, Kathleen M. Stanley of Andover, Mary Beth Stanley, William F. Stanley Jr., State Rep. Thomas M. Stanley and his wife, Kim, and James B. Stanley, all of Waltham; his grandchildren, Ryan Wm. Stanley and Parker T. Stanley; his brothers and sisters-in-law, Frederick and Joan Bryson and Mary Kay Bryson, all of Waltham, and Richard and Barbara Pickette of Frederick, Md., and many nieces and nephews.

He was also the brother of the late Robert W. Stanley.

Family and friends will honor and remember Mayor Stanley's life by gathering for calling hours in Waltham City Hall, 610 Main St., Waltham, on Sunday, April 13, from 3-7 p.m. and again at 9:45 a.m. on Monday morning in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main St. (Route 20), Waltham, before leaving in procession to Saint Charles Borromeo Church, 51 Hall St., Waltham, where his funeral mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Mount Feake Cemetery, Waltham.

Memorial donations may be made to the Wm. F. Stanley Foundation, c/o Watertown Savings Bank, 6 Lexington St., Waltham, MA 02452.