Obituary of Stanley William Renner

Stanley W. Renner, 87, died late Tuesday evening (Sept. 24, 2019) at Reston Hospital in Virginia.

He was born November 2, 1931, in Marshall County, Iowa, the son of William Edward Renner and Ethel Mae (Blake) Renner.

He married Charla M. Renner on Sept. 5, 1959, at Iowa City, Iowa.  Charla passed away in 2013, and he missed her terribly.

Surviving are two sons, Scott (Melynda) Renner, Herndon, Va., and Matt Renner, San Diego, Calif.; and Bridget (Lon) Meltesen, who he treated as his own daughter; seven grandchildren, Elinor Cate Renner, Alyssa Marie Renner, Alexander William Renner, Mark Laurence Renner,  Mia Alexis Renner, Kirsten Meredith Meltesen, and Madelline Elyse Meltesen; three sisters, Joyce Boettcher, Jody Mohr, and Jeri Reed; and one brother, Dennis Renner.

He served in the US Army and earned an honorable discharge in September, 1955.  After an initial interest and training in architecture, he found a passion for literature and earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa in 1968.  Stanley became a Professor of English Literature at Illinois State University and taught there for more than thirty years.  He maintained the keen eye from the architecture training, however, and produced countless artworks, most of which he gave away to friends and relatives.

An original member of the well-known Exploding Penguins softball team, Stanley was a life-long Cubs fan, and happily lived long enough to see them win the World Series in 2016. His affliction with memory loss meant that he experienced the thrill and anxiety of Game 7 more times than most people living today.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 26, at Evelyn Chapel on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University. Private family interment will take place at a later date.