Roger was born on February 8, 1942, to Weber and Marian (Dodge) Stanley, in Spencer, IA. He grew up on a dairy farm in Spencer and graduated from Spencer High School. Roger remembered lots of their friends coming to the farm to help milk and do other chores. Roger served in the U.S. Air Force, state side, during the Vietnam War. He was united in marriage to Carolyn Phillips on November 10, 1973, and resided in Marshalltown.

Roger did not know a stranger and always had some kind of story or joke to tell. He loved bowling and even working at the alley where he had lots of memories of his friends and fun there. He bowled 3-4 leagues and held many offices and a member of the Bowling Lifetime League. Being brought up on the farm he enjoyed helping his father in law, a neighbor and friend in the fields. Roger enjoyed operating the big farm machinery they have now, way into the nights many times. Roger worked around 20 years at Marshalltown Packaging driving semi. He liked driving charter bus for Hawkeye Stages. He made many trips to Nascar and Hawkeye events, Grinnell College trips and many more adventures. Roger won a chance to ride a Nascar race car twice around the track going at a very high speed. When not in the corn field or driving bus Roger was on a softball field behind the plate. He lived to umpire whether it was fast pitch or slow pitch.

Roger will be dearly missed by his wife, Carolyn; three children: Shane Stanley (Janet), of Everly, Shelley Lechnir (Jon), of State Center, Gregory Stanley (Tara), of Thorton, CO. And his three grandchildren: Michael and Molly Lechnir and Drew Stanley and a great granddaughter, Rozlyn. Also, his twin brother Raymond (Lois) Stanley, of Emmetsburg, Barbara (Joe) Mann, of Spencer, Connie Frasier, of Roland, OK and Larry (Deb), of Lake Park, IA, and many other friends and family. He also dearly loved his 4 legged friends and took them everywhere.