Obituary of Stephen John Stanko

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, and community advocate Stephen John Stanko died peacefully in his Las Vegas home on Friday, October 2nd, 2015 at the age of 77 after a long battle with congestive heart failure. A proud family man, he is survived by his wife, Glenda; daughters, Denise, Sandra and Rosalyn; his grandchildren, Tina, Lauren, Brandon, Jennifer, and Dustin; his great-grandchildren, Brayden, Gavin, Wyatt, and Dylan; and his dog and faithful companion, Honey. Known by friends as Steve, he was born on January 18th, 1938 to parents, Stephen and Mary, in Canonsburg, PA. A proud Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient, his duty to his country and community was ceaseless. He retired as a Marine Corps Major in 1978. His service to his community continued after he was diagnosed with heart disease in 1984. He was passionate about empowering other heart disease patients to live inspired and unhindered lives in spite of their condition, and he served on the Executive Board of the Mended Hearts and then as the local Las Vegas chapter President until the time of his death. His selfless activism, intelligence, and awareness of his condition got the attention of the American Heart Association, and he spent time in Washington D.C. lobbying on their behalf as a patient advocate. After one blind date, he was married to the love of his life, Glenda, on October 10, 1957. Their nearly 58 years of marriage was an example of selfless and true love and a gift to family and friends who were fortunate enough to experience its sincerity and boundlessness. Together, they raised three incredible daughters and built a family which was the pride of his life. Steve valued education immensely, and completed several higher education degrees during his time in the military and later, as a consultant. His family carries on his legacy of determination, compassion, and curiosity – he could speak at length on any topic and was passionate about exploration and education. Steve continued his passion for education by completing his lifelong dream of writing a book, “A Cat Named Steve”. Coming out later this year, it chronicles his unique life and his motivation to never give up with God by his side. A visitation will be held at 4:00 on October 16th, 2015 at Our Lady of Las Vegas, 3050 Alta Dr., Las Vegas, NV with a Mass to follow at 4:20, officiated by Father Gerald Grupczynski. Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery.