Jennie Stanley: A True Renaissance Woman

Aug. 25—Jennie Stanley was known by many in the Pulaski County area. She was a former successful business owner. She was extremely active in politics. She loved to read and donate books to the local library every year. She believed strongly in women's rights and was an active leader in the Somerset Business and Professional Women's Club.

At the age of 85, Jennie Stanley was one of the more outspoken and one of the most active citizens in the local area. On Thursday, Jennie Stanley passed away leaving behind a legacy for future women to model themselves after and try to follow in her footsteps.

Stanley was interested in politics at a very young age, and she extremely active in the local and state Democratic Party, as well as the Pulaski County Democratic Woman's Club. Her longtime friend Mary Ann Johnson stated that Stanley loved her community, her church, and the Democratic Party.

"Jen was politicking all the time" Johnson stated. "As a matter of fact, just last Saturday during her birthday dinner, this lady came to the table to say hello to her and Jen started to explain to her how important the upcoming governor's election was and told her to make sure she got all her people out to vote."

Johnson and Stanley were both members of the local St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, and Stanley never missed a Wednesday or Sunday service, according to Johnson.

"I've talked to a lot of the younger women who have sort of modeled themselves after her," Johnson stated. "I think she's been a role model to many."

Stanley's love of reading books has greatly benefited the local library with her yearly book donations, but she was in the process of sending hundreds of books to a flooded library in eastern Kentucky.

"Jennie had been collecting books since she heard one of the libraries was wiped out during the recent flooding in eastern Kentucky," Johnson stated. "There's a room full of books at the Cundiff Town Springs building to be taken to Whitesburg to one of the flooded libraries.

"She personally spearheaded that campaign through the Democratic Woman's Club, the churches, through local businesses, and any professional or organization that she could talk to," Johnson explained. "At some point, whoever's in charge of her estate is going to have to load those books on a truck and take them to eastern Kentucky."

As a past president of the Somerset Business & Professional (BPW) Women's Club, Stanley was a mentor to most all of the women in that local organization. Current BPW President Rikiyah Pryor said she was encouraged by Jennie Stanley on the very first day she every met her.

"She was a spitfire and an advocate for women in the workplace," Pryor stated. "She was a breath of fresh air and a light to anyone who knew her. At 85 years old, she would still show up and support and give back in our local community. She organized a book drive to replenish the books in Fleming Neon after all the water damage, which is very fitting for Jennie because she loved to read and she gave books to the local library every year in October."

Stanley was a well respected business leader for most of her adult life. She ran the Holiday motel and restaurant for many years, and operated a successful catering business as well. Stanley was the former manager of the Beecher House and organized a tour bus for the 1982 Knoxville World's Fair. Even at 85 years of age, Stanley was still managing the Cundiff Town Springs business properties two to three days a week.

"I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who's been more involved in Pulaski County over the last five or six decades than Jennie Stanley," stated Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bobby Clue. "Jennie was a successful business owner. She was involved in multiple civic organizations, but I think really over the last 10 to 15 years, her heart's really been with the Somerset Business and Professional Women's Club and the Democratic Woman's Club."

Stanley was awarded the 1991 Business Woman of the Year, and in 2017 was honored with the Woman of Achievement Award by the Somerset Business and Professional Women's Club. Stanley served two terms (2020-2022) as president of the Somerset Business and Professional Women's Club, which she was a member of for 21 years.

On the political side, Stanley served as the Pulaski County Democratic Party vice chairman and was a former president of the Pulaski County Democratic Woman's Club. Stanley was known statewide within the Democratic Party, and was currently serving on a Democratic state board committee.

Pulaski County Democratic Party Chairman Rodney Casada called Stanley one of the local organization's most active and influential members for nearly 50 years.

"Jennie has served on our executive committee for several years and has been the past president of the Pulaski County Democratic Woman's Club, and I think she even held a state office at one time as well," Casada said. "I have been involved in politics here since 1981, and she had been involved in it longer than that for sure. She would come to every event and I can't ever remember her not being at an event."

When Pryor talked about her friend Jennie Stanley, she referred to her as her female business and professional role model. Stanley has set the standard for a whole new generation professional women to follow.

"She definitely had that sass, but I'm so glad to have known Jennie," Pryor stated. "I know that I've known her less time than most people, but more than many. And just knowing her has definitely changed my perspective on how women impact not only our local community, but as a whole...She impacted people way outside of just here, and there's people who will mourn her loss and look to her legacy all over the state of Kentucky."

Jennie Lou Coffey Stanley was born on August 11, 1938 to Alton Coffey and Cloria Coffey at Oneida, TN. She was married to Charles Richard Stanley in 1957 and they shared 61 years of marriage prior to his passing on April 23, 2019.

Jennie is survived by her granddaughters, Jennie Elizabeth "Beth" Stanley; and Rebecca Ann "Becky" Stanley Spradlin and her husband, Keith; and great-grandchildren, Hayden Vaught and Lorelei Spradlin, and one nephew Jerry Wade Phillips of Knoxville, TN.

Along with her parents and her husband Charles Richard Stanley, she was preceded in death by her son, Charles (Rick) Richard Stanley, Jr.; and her daughter, Stacy Ann Stanley Weaver and her siblings.

Visitation for Jennie Lou Stanley will be held on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 from 11:00 am — 1:00 pm at Lake Cumberland Funeral Home, 1046 West Hwy 80, Somerset, KY 42501.

The funeral service will follow at the Chapel of Lake Cumberland Funeral on August 30, 2023 at 1:00 pm with Reverend Christina Brannock officiating.

Inurnment will be at Mill Springs National Cemetery on Friday, September 1, 2023 at 1:30 pm.

Contact Steve Cornelius at scornelius@somerset-kentucky.com.