Stanley Banks
New London — Stanley Edmund Banks, 82, passed away Aug. 26, 2023, in New London. Stan was born Aug. 9, 1941, in Schenectady, N.Y., the son of the late Stanley and Helen (Rynasko) Bojanowski. In his childhood, Stan resided in Schenectady and was a 1959 graduate of Mont Pleasant High School. Stan went on to graduate in 1963 from Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y. He started his accounting career in New York City and spent the majority of his career working for Niagara Mohawk in Syracuse, N.Y. He enjoyed incorporating new technologies into his field and was the first to bring computers into his place of work.
Stan was united in marriage to Elaine Banks Aug. 16, 1966, in Colonie, N.Y. After many happy years together in Syracuse they fulfilled their dream to live by the sea with a move to New London in 1998.
Stan loved to travel and planned annual family vacations exploring and learning about different parts of the country and visiting baseball stadiums. While living in Syracuse, he studied to become a medic and drove the ambulance for the WAVES (Western Area Volunteer Emergency Service) Ambulance Corps in Camillus, N.Y., as a volunteer. Stan was an avid woodworker and model ship builder. Stan, Elaine, and their children also formed the Little People Theater Group. Stan designed and crafted his own original puppets and marionettes, each with its own voice and personality. Stan wrote the original scripts they performed and turned the family home basement into a theater complete with several stage sets, lights, and a homemade sound system. The entire family participated in performances to entertain children in their home and also visited nursery schools, hospitals, and muscular dystrophy functions. Neighborhood children thought Cookie Monster lived at the Banks house!
Stan is survived by Elaine, his beloved wife of 57 years; his son Daniel Banks of Tampa, Fla.; daughter Maria Banks (Jeff Wilfore) of New York City; sister Virginia (Henry) Gorko of West Warwick, R.I.; and grandchildren, Kevin (Nathalie), Kyle, and Kaylee Banks all of Tampa.
Per request, there will be no wake or funeral service. A memorial service will be held starting at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 24, 2023, at the family home, to celebrate Stan’s life. The Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Homes of New London is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers we request that donations be made to The Tunnel to Towers Foundation in memory of Stanley Banks. A second notice of the memorial service will be published closer to the date in The Day.