Marion Edward Stanley, emeritus UC Cooperative Extension animal specialist, died Oct. 19, 2025, in King City. He was 93.

Stanley, who was raised on the family ranch in New Raymer, Colorado, attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins where he earned a bachelor’s degree in livestock management. He went to Wyoming State for his master’s degree and to Oklahoma State for his doctorate. He served 18 months in the U.S. Army and got medical technician training. Later, he did student teaching at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.    

In 1964, Stanley married Viola Frahm in Washington and they moved to King City, California, where he began his 31-year career as a UC Cooperative Extension animal scientist.

“I became acquainted with Marion as a function of the similarity in livestock operations and rangeland between Monterey County and the counties I served,” said Larry Forero, who began his career with UC Cooperative Extension as the livestock farm advisor in Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. 

“He was an important mentor to me,” Forero said. “We held several workshops together – his quiet counsel was always welcome.”  

When the young academic felt pulled between serving local ranchers and going to all the meetings he was invited to attend, Stanley advised him to prioritize clientele. “He was dedicated to the ranching community that he served and instilled in me the importance of ‘staying home and taking care of clientele,’” Forero recalled.  

“As a small ruminant expert, he was unsurpassed,” Forero said. “I recall in 2010 several livestock advisors were working on a meat goat cost study. We had reached the limit of our combined intellect and couldn’t complete the document. I reached out to Marion and, although he had been retired for many years, he drove to Davis, met with us and worked us through our challenges and we were able to complete the cost study.”  

Stanley’s hobbies included coin collecting, raising livestock and working with the Rare Breed Conservancy on rescue and recovery programs, as well as volunteering his time at fairs. Nearly every year, he took his family back to Colorado to the place where his ancestors were homesteaders on property that is still in the family.

During his working career, Stanley traveled to all parts of Monterey County, assisting farmers and ranchers. He also found time for two sabbaticals, one in Scotland in 1970 and another in New Zealand in 1979, where he was able to do advanced study with sheep and cattle.

“Marion was an exemplary man and human being. His calm and easy ways created a zone of comfort and trust,” Sonya Hammond, who retired in 2011 as director for UC Cooperative Extension in Monterey County for 20 years, wrote on a tribute page. 

“I was privileged to work with him prior to his retirement,” Hammond wrote. “Though he retired, he continued to be involved with Cooperative Extension, his passions related to animal welfare and preservation, and his community of ag supporters.” 

During his life, Stanley supported many organizations. He was a member of the Silver Kings and Queens, the Monterey County Cattlemen’s Association, the Dairy Herd Improvement Association and he was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. For years, he ran the carcass contest (meat quality) for the Salinas Valley Fair in King City, where he was a volunteer and worked with 4-H and FFA students.

Stanley is survived by his wife of 61 years, Viola of King City; sons Bill of Juneau, Alaska, and Doug (Heidi Conley) of Coalinga; daughter Gwen, of New Raymer, Colorado; daughter-in-law, Karen Stanley, of Tulare; grandchildren Brook Stanley of Texas, Shane Stanley of Coalinga, McKenzie (Justin) Strickland of Coalinga, Riley Stanley of Clovis, and Jackson Stanley of Coalinga; great-grandchildren James and Madeline Strickland of Coalinga; sisters Edith Schwen, Mary Allred, Mildred Fisher, Carolyn Hughes and Judy Kummer, and brother Marvin Stanley. He was preceded in death by son Tom.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Stanley be made to Grace Lutheran Church, 205 Canal Street, King City, CA 93930, or The Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation, PO Box 942, King City, CA 93930.

Read more about Stanley’s life at https://atascaderonews.com/record/obituaries/marion-e-stanley-1931-2025/.