Taylor Stanley

Taylor Joseph Stanley

July 12, 1993 – August 30, 2026

Taylor Joseph Stanley, 33, of Traverse City, Michigan, unexpectedly passed away on August 30, 2026.

Born July 12, 1993, in Traverse City, MI. He graduated from Traverse City West High School and later attended Northwestern Michigan College.

Taylor was extremely proud of his work. As the owner of TJS Construction and Maintenance, he was a skilled and hardworking craftsman, working alongside his nephew, Trenton Brackett. He took tremendous pride in doing things well and was proud to have built something of his own.

Growing up, Taylor was blessed to live in the same neighborhood as his cousins, aunts, and uncles. This began a lifetime of best friends who just so happened to be related.

Taylor was truly one of a kind. Hardworking, funny, passionate and unapologetically himself, he had a personality that was impossible to miss. You never quite knew what he was going to say next. His contagious laugh could fill a room, and those he loved were regularly subjected to his all-consuming bear hugs, surprise wrestling matches, and annoying wet willies.

Taylor enjoyed martial arts, being a video game nerd, and working out with his trainer and long-time friend, Austin Lambert, proudly claiming he was “morphing into a gorilla.” When he wasn't working or at the gym, he enjoyed a good steak on the grill—maybe because he loved steak or maybe because he couldn’t cook anything else. But he sure loved to eat! He never met a deviled egg he didn’t like.

But underneath the muscles and tough exterior was an incredibly soft side, and nowhere was that more apparent than with his girls. Being “Dada” to Madison (“Madi”) and Mila was one of his greatest sources of happiness. He was a surprisingly proud girl dad. Madi being a complete Daddy's girl since the day she was born. Mila, just 9 months old, was perfectly content being held by him while he walked around, always pacing the room.

Taylor shared his life and his girls with his fiancée, Taylor Schneider. They were engaged on Christmas Day 2025. Their relationship, like life itself, wasn't always easy or perfect, but the love they shared for each other and especially for Madison and Mila remained unmistakable. They looked forward to buying a home and building a future together as a family.

Anyone looking through family pictures will quickly notice that finding a picture of this guy without a goofy face could be a challenge no matter how old he was, from childhood to fatherhood, the same goofball smile is prevalent. But in those rare pictures when he wasn't posing for the camera, it was impossible to miss: the love and genuine smile on his face when he looked at his fiancé Taylor and their girls.

Taylor and his younger brother, Kolin, shared an especially close bond. The perfect mix of inappropriate jokes and living room MMA matches alongside cousin, Gaige. His dad, Scott, taught them how to box at a young age, providing plenty of visual coaching by watching boxing matches on TV mixed with live demonstrations courtesy of dad and uncles Steve and John. Any Stanley family gathering could become a perfectly acceptable training camp. His grandmother, Mary Ann Bounting, forever remained one of Taylor's favorite people throughout his life. He was blessed to be able to take his Taylor and the girls on their first family vacation to visit her in Georgia earlier this year. He was also fortunate to have close friends who stood beside him, laughed with him, and helped him through different seasons of his life, especially his best friend, Alex Karch. Many of his friends will tell you he did the same thing for them.

Taylor was an open book in many ways, but he also carried struggles that were heavier than many people may have realized. He was fighting battles within himself, even while making everyone around him laugh. At times, those battles may have created distance or complicated relationships with people he cared about, but they never erased the love he had for them.

For anyone who may have found themselves on the other side of that distance, Taylor's family hopes you will remember the whole person—the friend, brother, son, grandson, fiancé, Dada, jokester, and bear-hugger behind those struggles. And they hope Taylor's story might remind all of us to give a little more grace, to reach out, to stay connected and to never assume that someone knows just how much they matter.

Taylor leaves behind his fiancée, Taylor Schneider; his beloved daughters, Madison and Mila Stanley; his father, Scott Stanley; mother, Marilyn Stanley, Paternal Grandmother, Mary Ann Bounting; Paternal Grandfather John (Sheryl) Stanley; brothers Kolin Stanley (Arianna Jones), Alex Whiteford, Christopher Brackett; Step-brothers John (Tatianna) McCauley and Vincent McCauley (Alysse Boydston); Uncles Steve Stanley, John Stanley, Lonny Wiederhold; Aunts Wendy Wiederhold and Lorrie Gauthier-Parks; Cousins Gaige Stanley (Chelsea Robinson), Savannah Stanley (Stu Miller), Annabelle (Kevin) Zattlin, Kalia Wiederhold, Jake Wiederhold and Forrest Stanley. In addition to several nieces, nephews and extended family members, his fiancés parents, T.J. and Stephanie Keyes (“Gigi” and “Papa” to their girls), along with their entire extended family who will deeply miss him.

More than anything, Taylor will be remembered for being unmistakably one of a kind. Hardworking and complicated, tough and tender, smart and unpredictable, hilarious, and ridiculously goofy. For his contagious laugh. For the faces he made when someone tried to take a decent picture. For the hugs that consumed you. And above all, for the way that gorilla completely melted when it came to his girls.

Madison and Mila will grow up hearing the stories, seeing the photographs, and learning about the Daddy who loved them so very much. His time with them was far too short, but the love he gave them will remain part of their story forever.

The Funeral Service will be held on Sunday, September 20th, 2026, at 11:00 am. Guests will be welcome beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Life Story Funeral Home, 400 Hammond Rd West, Traverse City.

A Celebration of Life will follow for anyone who would like to enjoy some food, share memories and stories. Beginning at 2:00 p.m. 474 W. River Rd, Traverse City.