Charlotte Anne Tesberg Stanley was born in Merrill, WI on November 27, 1940 to C. Arthur and H. Margaret (Samuelson) Tesberg. Charlotte graduated from Wausau High School in 1958 and from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a minor in Sociology. She was a member of the Iota Beta Sorority. Charlotte taught first grade in Columbia Heights, MN and Hudson, WI and as a substitute teacher for the Luck and St. Croix Falls, WI school districts.

During college, Charlotte met the love of her life, whom she called "Mister Wonderful," Ronald Harold Stanley on a blind date to a Gustavus vs. Augsburg football game. They were married a year later on December 29, 1962, at First English Lutheran Church in Wausau, WI. Charlotte brought two daughters into the world, Marilyn Kay Stanley and Carolyn Anne Stanley (Anderson).

When the Reverend Stanley was ordained at Christ Chapel at Gustavus on June 6, 1963, Charlotte too was called to a life of service. She served the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America alongside her husband at Mount Zion Lutheran Church in Hudson, WI from 1963 to 1970, at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas from 1970 to 1975, and then at Faith Lutheran Church in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin from 1975 to 2003.

While many people may not have recognized the role of minister's wife as a full-time position, for Charlotte it was a sacred life-long vocation and a 24-hour on call commitment that she performed with respect, modesty, and at times very little fanfare. To be the spouse of the minister was her calling, which she met with serious devotion to sharing the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Charlotte's ministry was to portion the abounding grace of our Heavenly Father, which she did faithfully. Her authentic and enduring message was that we are all beautifully and perfectly made by our creator and fearlessly loved. She led by example through her kindness, humility, and her very unique sense of humor. Charlotte's gift to the community was her candid ability to face some of life's most challenging and tragic hardships with a pun, a smile, an infectious giggle, and a "mom joke." Her distinctive laugh alongside with her chocolate chip cookies, Chex party mix, hugs, phone calls, hotdish, and birthday cards were her thoughtful gifts to fellow travelers.

As her life progressed, multiple sclerosis took away her ability to walk and she became a wheelchair user, like her daughter who was paralyzed in a motor vehicle accident. Rooted deeply in her own personal and her family's experiences she became an unlikely advocate, turned caring ally for all community members with disabilities: whether they were caused by illness, accident, mental health, or addiction. Her life showed us that humor, unpretentiousness, and sharing an anecdote or a song could be key in bridging our divides. That a raucous belly laugh can be healing in miraculous ways. It is her amazing laugh that will be most greatly missed.

Charlotte is preceded in death by her parents Arthur and Margaret Tesberg and her husband Ronald Stanley. She will be deeply missed by her daughter Marilyn Kay Stanley and her companion Randal Kent Lind and his daughter Madison Alice Lind, her daughter Carolyn Anne Anderson, her husband Carl Anderson, and her two grandsons Oskar Peter Anderson and Axel Magnus Anderson.

Visitation will be held at Williamson-White Funeral home in Amery, from 5-7 pm on Tuesday June 11.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday June 12, with visitation one hour prior to service, at Faith Lutheran Church in Balsam Lake Wisconsin with the Reverend Diane Norstad and the Reverend Chuck Arndt officiating. There will be a luncheon and a graveside service following.
Memorials are preferred to the family, in lieu of flowers, which will be directed to Faith Lutheran Church in Balsam Lake.