Stanley James Kolanowski was born on April 7th, 1941 in Portland Oregon, to Catherine and Patrick Kolanowski. On April 27th he succumbed to liver cancer, and the resulting complications stemming from multiple traumatic injuries suffered in Vietnam. Stan was injured in 1970 when he was struck by the main rotor blade of a helicopter as he was returning from a mission.
Stan was a graduated from Central Catholic High School in June of 1959, he then went on to Gonzaga University where he joined ROTC and graduated with a BA in Business Administration in May 1964. After graduation he was commissioned as a 2LT, and joined the active US Army as a staff officer for the Judge Advocate General . Stan reclassified and was trained as Infantry Officer at Fort Benning, GA, eventually joining the 5th Special Forces Group where he deployed to Vietnam for his first tour of duty which lasted from January, 1968 – December, 1968. During his tour Stan was a Combat Development Officer attached to HHC 5th Special Forces Group. Stan redeployed for a second combat tour April 1970 with the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, where he served as the S3 for the 3/506 Infantry Battalion, then as A Company Commander, 3/506 Infantry until his injury in August, 1970.
During his Military Career Stan earned the following decorations, medals and citations: National Defense medal, US Army Airborne Jump wings, The Ranger Tab, Path Finder Badge, Vietnam Service medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Vietnam Jump Wings, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with “V”Device, Meritorious Unit Citation, US Army Commendation Medal, and a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Clusters.
Stan’s training and education in the Military included Officer Basic Infantry School, Officer Advanced Infantry School, US Army Airborne School, Ranger School, Combat Surveillance School, Special Warfare School, Special Forces Operations Officer Course, Pathfinder Course, National Security Management Course.
He married army nurse Tonjia Marie Karr in Landstuhl, Germany in 1967. His first child Geoffry Stephen was born 1969 in Ft, Benning, Georgia, and his second child Tashana Marie was born 1974 in New York, New York.
Following several years of medical reconstruction, after his traumatic amputation of his right arm and left shoulder, he was retired from the Army with 100% disability. He went on to be accepted at Columbia University in New York City where he completed Master Degrees in Information Sciences and a second Master’s Degree in Business Administration.
Stan had a variety of jobs including working for, Veteran Administration Research Center for Prosthetics, Time/Life Warner, Stratton Real Estate Group, Boise Cascade as well as being a book store owner, a US Census taker, and Disabled Advocate for the Vermont Center for the Disabled.
He especially enjoyed playing with and teaching his two children Geoff and Tashana:hunting, fishing, down hill, and cross country skiing, canoeing, hiking, gardening, cooking, golfing, racket ball, and squash. He was a dedicated volunteer in his children’s lives, boy scout leader, baseball coach, PTA participant, swim team parent, Catholic Parish volunteer.
His love of cooking was a source of great joy for his family throughout his life, his breakfasts of waffles with orange sauce, blueberry buttermilk pancakes, bacon, sausage and popovers were legendary. He was a follower of The New York Time 60 min dinners section, and they were a regular occurrence on the family’s dinner table. He had a great love of entertaining and good food. He also had a sweet tooth for gummy bears, and his grand children always could count on Grandpa Stan for some treats. He loved reading mysteries, military history and multiple newspapers.
Stan lived in many places over the course of his life starting in the Pacific North West in Portland Oregon, and to include Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Benning, Georgia, New York City, Brattleboro, VT and coming finally back to the North West the last five years of his life in Seattle, WA.
Stan is survived by his sister Patricia, his wife Tonjia, son Geoff, daughter Tashana, son-in-law Michael, grandchildren Marnie, Edythe and Edison along with several nieces and nephews.
His memorial will be held at Merrill Gardens in Seattle on May 5th, and he will be interred at Mount Calvary Cemetary in Portland, Oregon at a later date.