Kenneth ‘Kelly’ Stanley, 82, passed away at Grays Harbor Community Hospital on Jan. 4, 2017. He was born Oct. 18, 1934, in Chehalis, to James “Kelly” and Velma (Rockwood) Stanley. He attended Morton Schools, graduating in 1952. During his summers in High School he would go to Bandon, Ore., and work for his father’s company, S & R Logging, which was his father and Albert Ray’s company. After a post-high school stint in the Navy, where he distinguished himself as a boxer with a record of 35 wins and five losses. He was training to be a boxer as he won the AAU Lightweight Oregon State Championship in 1953, but it wasn’t paying the bills, so he returned to logging.
He married Coral “June” (Mills) Cotten on Dec. 12, 1952, (later divorced) they lived in Morton until 1957 when their house burnt to the ground on Christmas Eve, they then moved to Kosmos. He went to work at Kosmos Timber in 1953, which is where he said “it all started, it was a school for the young and a home for the old”. He was a high climber for them after a while, tallest tree he ever topped was on Yellowjacket, 225’ from the ground. Later in his career they would use a method that they called sausages to top the trees, where they would fill a fire hose full of dynamite and a fuse, then he would climb the tree with it and circle the tree and then they would blow up the dynamite and it would top the tree.
In 1957, he was hanging the flags at the Loggers Jubilee Logging Show, and the manager of the show at the time (Neil Wright) came to him and asked him if he would be willing to climb in the speed climbing event for $10, he first said no and then decided he needed the $10, so he said yes, it wasn’t a good showing, but this is what started his career in speed climbing. He was determined to become the best and started training to do so.
He was a two-time World Champion High Climber (1963 & 1964) competed and performed in logging shows and sports shows all over the United States, Australia, England and Canada. He also appeared on Wide World of Sports several times. He competed in high climbing, tree topping, axe throwing and did his jump act (Jump Act was where he would climb the tree and dance on top of it with a little act and then hook up to a wire and jump off, coming down a wire about 300’) He was a featured act at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and also at the 1967 Montreal World’s Fair. He fell at Montreal coming down the spar tree and received a career ending injury to his knee, so he could not compete any longer, but he still worked exhibitions.
After the Mossyrock Dam forced everyone to move from Kosmos, he went to work for Simpson’s Timber at Camp Grisdale as a climber for almost 3 years. Then he heard Weyerhauser was hiring a high climber, so he went to work for Weyerhauser and worked his way up thru the company. He was a Contract Harvest Manager for the last 20 years of his career with Weyerhauser Cosmopolis, retiring in 1996.
Kelly enjoyed hunting in his earlier years and then traded it for going to concerts, he has seen everyone from Elvis to Britney Spears, it was a big part of his life. He followed the Indy Car Races, enjoyed traveling to Alaska and following the Iditarod, going to casino’s, football and shooting the bull with anyone that would listen.
He always said “I have had a good life” and that he did! He was one of a kind! And he will be missed.
A special thank you to Westhaven Villa and Riverside staff for all the special treatment they gave him while he was there.
Survivors include: daughter Rochelle Stanley, Chehalis, daughter Linda Stanley-Givens, Chehalis, son-in-law Joe Givens, Chehalis, granddaughter Desirae Stanley, Centralia and great-grandson Ossian Stanley, Centralia and his special friend Roberta.
All are welcome to attend a graveside service at Morton Cemetery, Morton, Wash. at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2017, followed by a gathering at the Morton Senior Center, Morton, Wash.
Cremation arrangements were by Fern Hill Funeral Home, Aberdeen, Wash.
