Esther (Runyan) Stanton

Esther Stanton

April 1, 1933 – January 21, 2022

Esther Stanton, 88, passed away on Friday, January 21, 2022, at home surrounded by her children.  Esther was born on April 1, 1933, in Niles, Michigan to the late Elias and Dorothy Runyan.  She was raised by her parents and went to school in Niles.  On August 2, 1952, she married Richard Stanton and moved to South Bend.  Richard, her loving husband of 67 years, preceded her in death on January 20, 2019. 

Esther and Richard lived in South Bend and raised their three children, Barry Stanton of Warsaw, Sandy (Terry West) Barnard and Bruce (Mary) Stanton, both of South Bend.

Esther was greatly loved by her grandchildren, Amanda (Dave) McCray of Walkerton, Indiana, Katie (Jordan) Patzer of Hamlet, Indiana, Elizabeth (Nathan) Boon of Oceanside, California, and Jeremy Barnard of Ohio. Great Grandchildren, Devin McCray and Aidan McCray loved to tease her about her height. 

Esther is survived by her sisters, Delores Curran of Elkhart, Eloise Lucas of Lansing, Michigan, Kathy (Terry) Wilburn of Apache Junction, Arizona, and Jean (Jim) Lubelski of Edwardsburg, Michigan.  Her grandson, Jeremy Michael Stanton, and her brother, George Runyan, both preceded Esther in death.

Little Fish Lake cottage provided many years of fun, fishing, boating, skiing and tubing.  Esther enjoyed playing cards, marbles and doing puzzles.  Her baby blankets, potholders and scrubbies were a treasured gift. 

Memorial Services will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at Palmer Funeral Home – River Park Chapel, 2528 Mishawaka Ave., South Bend. Friends may visit at 4:00 p.m. until time of service on Tuesday in the funeral home.  Private burial will be held at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Osceola, IN.

The family will be holding a Celebration of Life in the Spring for both Esther and Richard Stanton. 

Contributions in memory of Esther Stanton may be made to Riley’s Children Hospital, 30 S. Meridian, #200, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.