Stanley Warren Beesley

Stanley Warren Beesley was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, uncle and friend to all.  He passed peacefully on June 29, 2025 in his Norman, Oklahoma home after a long struggle with kidney disease. To say that Stanley will be missed is an understatement, as he touched countless lives over his 76 years.

Stanley was born in Yale, Oklahoma, the third child of Carl Britton Beesley and Margaret Quait Beesley.  He attended Tecumseh Public Schools and graduated from THS in 1967.  Upon graduating, he received a football scholarship to attend NEO and as a starter led the team to a NJCAA championship. From there he was recruited to continue his football career as a Captain of the Northeastern State University football team in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

He was drafted into the military in the fall of 1969 and served his tour of duty in the 75th Army Rangers in Viet Nam from 1970 to 1971.  Upon returning from his tour of duty, he returned to the NSU campus to continue as fullback on the existing team.

Upon graduation from NSU with a degree in teacher education, he worked briefly in the Tulsa Public School system, followed by a position at Tecumseh High School. In 1978, he took a year off from teaching to travel around Europe and hone his writing skills.  When he returned from Europe, he began teaching at North Rock Creek School, where he met his partner of 46 years, Denise Beesley.  They were partners in life and teaching colleagues at NRC for 18 years and raised two beautiful daughters, Mariah Munn and Carly Danker.

While Stanley poured much of his energy into teaching and mentoring students, he always found time to pursue his love of writing, arising at 5:00 in the morning to squeeze in a writing session before he left for his school bus route. His dedication to the craft yielded 4 published books and countless short stories. He also found time to complete his master’s degree in liberal studies at the University of Oklahoma, winning major accolades for his dissertation and collection of short stories. At the time of his death, he was seeking publication of his 5th book, which was based, in large part, on his father's illustrious history as a World Champion Rodeo cowboy. 

He was preceded in death by his youngest daughter, Carly Danker; his father, Carl Beesley; his mother, Margaret Beesley; his brother, Paul Beesley; his brother, John Beesley; nephews, Paul “Sonny” Beesley, Jr. and John Charles McMahan; and brother-in-law, Tony Vaughan.

He is survived by his wife, Dr. Denise Beesley; his daughter and son-in-law, Mariah and Chad Munn; grandson, Dillon Danker; grandson, Maddox Munn; grandson, Tristen Munn; and granddaughter, Kadence Munn; sister, Martha Vaughan; and several nieces and nephews and grandnieces and nephews; and many loving friends and extended family.

In addition to his personal family, Stanley considered North Rock Creek his professional family.  He retired from NRC after 40 plus years of service, first as a junior high history/journalism teacher, middle school academic coach, and bus driver.  He loved NRC and all the personnel and students there so much that after retirement, he returned to part-time work to establish their first football program, work as coach and later, for a short period as Athletic Director.  After his “second” retirement from NRC, he still looked for opportunities to volunteer and assist with various athletic programs and academic meets.

A celebration of Stanley’s remarkable life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at North Rock Creek High School Auditorium with Dr. Bradley Walck officiating under the direction of Cooper Funeral Home of Tecumseh. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the American Kidney Fund or to his beloved North Rock Creek Public School System.