Stanley Gawel Obituary

Stanley P. Gawel, Sr. of Southampton, PA, passed away on Friday, June 20, 2025. He was 93. Stan was born in Chicago, IL to Joanna (nee Palider) and Stanislaw Gawel. He is survived by his loving children, Dr. Kathy Gawel Thompson (William, M.D.), Stan (Anita), Daniel (Marianna) and David (Nicole); 10 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; and his sister, Emily Kotwasinski. Stan was preceded in death by his wife, Joan in 2023 and his sister, Anne Miedlar. Stan spent his early years living in Poland and returned to Chicago when he was 9 years old before the German occupation of Poland in World War II. There he attended Archbishop Weber High School and later, Loyola University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Mathematics. He later went on to earn a Master's Degree in Psychology and an MBA. He enlisted in the army and met his loving wife Joan at a military ball. They married in 1960 and started their family in Yonkers NY. They moved to Southampton, PA in 1968 where they raised their four children.
In the early years of their marriage Stan held several jobs including positions at a diamond importer, Philco Ford, and General Manager of a chain of auto parts stores. He found his true calling in local government as Township Manager of Warminster, PA, Bristol, PA and finally Warrington, PA where he retired in 1996. During his time as Township Manager he traveled the world representing local state government, even going to Russia and China.
In addition to spending time with his family both at home and at the beach where there was always a donut run, Stan found purpose in giving back to his community. He taught classes on local government and zoning at Penn State, volunteered to provide tax return aid with AARP for 27 years, and was an usher at the Keswick Theater with his wife Joan. He was also an active participant in the Southampton Township Planning Commission resigning as President only a month before his death. He was a faithful member of Our Lady of Good Counsel parish teaching religious education for over 30 years and a proud member of his local Council of the Knights of Columbus for 57 years.
Stan was a history buff and spent a few years as a costumed docent at Pennsbury Manor. He was a diehard Duke basketball and Notre Dame football fan. He and Joan traveled extensively aided by Stan's knack for picking up foreign languages. He was fluent in several languages and spam callers didn't stand a chance when he would answer the phone in French and pretend not to understand. He also loved square dancing, gardening, and reading. At family gatherings when he wasn't acting as the unofficial family photographer he could be found telling stories and maybe a few tall tales to his children and grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to Stan's Life Celebration on Saturday, June 28, 2025 from 10 to 11:00 AM at Our Lady of Good Counsel, 611 Knowles Ave., Southampton, PA. A Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00. Interment will be on Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 10:30 with Military Honors at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Joan L. Gawel Memorial Scholarship for Nursing Students, 225 Swamp Rd., Newtown, PA 18940. Condolences may be sent to the Gawel family by visiting mcgheegivnish.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stanley, please visit our floral store.