George Arnold Stancil
Courtesy Stancil Family Reunion Archive
Early Life in Johnston County
George Arnold Stancil, the middle child of Nevell and DeLanie Stancil, was born on December 20, 1922, in Johnston County, North Carolina. He grew up alongside his older sister, Norma Ethel Stancil (born June 1, 1921), and younger sister, Reba Stancil (born November 14, 1925). By the 1930 U.S. Federal Census, 7-year-old George was living with his family in Beulah Township, Johnston County, where his father worked the land as a farmer.
A Mother's Care: As a young boy, George was considered to have "frail" health. When the family worked the fields chopping cotton and tobacco, his mother DeLanie would often send him to rest in the shade of a nearby tree while she finished his row for him—a gentle tenderness his father Nevell humorously thought was just "babying" him.
Despite his childhood frailty, George managed his health well into adulthood, though he was later plagued by stomach ulcers that required three separate surgeries. Throughout his life, his mother DeLanie remained deeply attentive to his well-being. In later years, George made a loving tradition of traveling back to Middlesex, North Carolina, every summer around her birthday, often accompanied by his grandson, Eric.
Marriage and WWII Era
As young adults, George and Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Ward both worked at a local drug store. On June 10, 1942, the couple was married in Nash County, North Carolina. Shortly after marrying, as men across the nation were registering for WWII, George and Lizzie moved onto his father Nevell's farm so George could secure an agricultural deferment. Nevell generously gifted the newlyweds hogs and chickens to help them establish their farmstead.
Farming life was a surprise adjustment for Lizzie, who remarked that she wouldn't have married George had she known he was going to be a farmer. Family lore remembers a lighthearted clash when Nevell asked George to get a broom to sweep out a hen house, and Lizzie firmly refused to hand it over. When Nevell told her that if she were his wife she would have given him the broom, Lizzie witty replied, "Well, I'm not your wife!"
Eventually transitioning away from farming, George moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to support the war effort as a defense worker with the Glenn L. Martin Company (which later became Lockheed Martin Corporation). On June 30, 1943, while residing at 4904 Kenwood Avenue in Baltimore, he filled out a Selective Service registration card. Interestingly, the card listed his age as a year younger than he actually was—a common anomaly on wartime draft records. The card noted he was 5'9" tall, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
George and Lizzie returned briefly to North Carolina for the birth of their first daughter, Sondra Gail Stancil, born on September 5, 1943.
Birth Record: Sondra Gail Stancil
| Name: | Sondra Gail Stancil |
| Date of Birth: | September 5, 1943 |
| Place: | Johnston County, NC |
| Archive Ref: | Vol 30, Page 235 |
Source Citation:
"North Carolina, Birth Index, 1800-2000", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VHYF-HDX : accessed 2026), Entry for Sandra Gail Stancil and George Arnold, 05 Sep 1943.
Shortly thereafter, on April 5, 1944, George formally entered military service as a private in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg. By then, his enlistment report noted a robust physical build of 189 pounds.
Post-War Careers and Family Life
Following the war, the family settled back in Baltimore. The 1950 Census records George, Lizzie, and young Sondra living on Bolton Street, with George employed as a retail radio repairman. His technical skills in electronics and defense manufacturing eventually led the family out West to California for his work with Glenn L. Martin Co.
In 1954, their family was completed with the birth of their second daughter, Victoria Marlowe Stancil.
Resting Place & Legacy
Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Ward Stancil passed away at the age of 57 on November 19, 1979, in Maryland.
Obituary: Mary E. Stancil
The Rocky Mount Telegram
November 23, 1979 (Page 8)
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Ward Stancil, 57, died Monday. Funeral was held today at 1 p.m. at Mitchell Funeral Home chapel in Raleigh with the Rev. W. C. Barham Jr. officiating. Burial followed in Montlawn Memorial Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Four years later, George Arnold Stancil passed away at the age of 60 on July 14, 1983, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was laid to rest beside his beloved wife in Montlawn Memorial Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Obituary: George Arnold Stancil
The Nashville (NC) Graphic
July 19, 1983 (Page 3)
A funeral for George A. Stancil, 60, a former resident of Rocky Mount who died Thursday in Baltimore, Md., was held Monday at Mitchell Funeral Home chapel in Raleigh with Rev. W. C. Barham Jr. officiating. Burial was in Mount Lawn Memorial Park.
Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Sondra Gail S. Snyder of Baltimore, Md. and Mrs. Vickie S. Smick of Annapolis, Md.; mother, Mrs. Delanie S. Stancil of Middlesex; two sisters, Mrs. Norma S. Moore of Rocky Mount and Mrs. Reba S. House of Greensboro; two grandchildren.
His mother, DeLanie Stancil, survived George by 13 years, passing away on March 7, 1996.