May 24, 1935 - December 22, 2024
Beloved mother of Heidi Stanley, James (Jim) Stanley (Rita), and Derek Stanley (Wendy); loving grandmother of James, Stephen, Derek, and Charles, and great grandmother to William. Dear wife to James Stanley (deceased). Renata was born in Austria. After World War II , she moved to Toronto to be an au pair to a family. She met James Stanley, married, and raised their family in North Toronto. She was a faithful partner to the love of her life, Jim, for over sixty years. Together, they built a construction business, held rental properties, and invested in cottages on Lake Simcoe. Renata loved to read, garden, and was a superb cook. She enjoyed her many dogs, the last one being Buck, the Second. She was known for tearing out recipes from magazines with the plan of trying them out one day. After building an addition to the Soldiers Memorial Hospital, the Harvey Wing, Jim and Renata decided that the Orillia area was to be their retirement place of choice. They bought a farm outside of Brechin. While Jim drove the tractor, Renata was the main farm hand in the barn, taking care of the chickens, the calves, and tending their large vegetable garden; these were things she had done as a child living in Austria with her Oma and Opa. She named each chicken, calf, and cow because they were as pets to her. In 1997, she and Jim retired from the farm and moved into Bayshore Village. After Jim’s passing, Renata’s health took a turn for the worse, and she became physically weaker, while mentally she remained as sharp as a tack. Recently, she has enjoyed many visits with her children and grandchildren, and loved the times she spent at her cottage on Lake Simcoe.
Renata passed peacefully in the early morning hours of December 22, 2024. The family would like to extend its sincere thanks to Dr. Lai and Dr. MacFadyen for their care and kindness to Renata, and a deep appreciation to Peggy Wainman, her full-time caregiver.
Funeral Arrangements entrusted to Simcoe Funeral Home, 38 James Street E., Orillia (705) 327 0221. Messages of condolence are welcomed at www.simcoefuneralhome.ca