Stanley Sevilla, a treasured family man and resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, January 3, owing to complications associated with pancreatic cancer. He was 88. Born April 3, 1920, and raised in Cincinnati, Stanley was the son of Dienna and Isadore Sevilla, immigrants from the Spanish enclave of Istanbul, Turkey. The Sevillas ran a pharmacy in Cincinnati. Stan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Cincinnati in 1942, and from Harvard Law School in 1948. In between, he served as a captain in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946, stationed in Puerto Rico. Stan briefed bomber crews on how to navigate their way from Puerto Rico, hopping from island to island on the route to Europe. This gave him a lifelong interest in aircraft and flying. After graduation from Harvard, Stan married Lois Howell in 1948; they moved to Los Angeles to start their married life and Stan’s law career. They moved to their new home on Merivale Lane in the Palisades in 1962. Stan practiced law with Bernard Axelrad and Alan Ross, partners and close lifelong friends. More recently, he ran his law practice from home with the able assistance of his daughter Carol. Stan served on many boards of directors, including Caesar’s World and the Casper Mills Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships for orphans. He was a founding member of the Marquez Knolls Neighborhood Association, once serving as president. He was a member of the Pacific Palisades Optimist Club as one of its most optimistic members. Golf was Stan’s great enthusiasm, at first on public courses and later as a longtime member of the Riviera Country Club. He introduced his children to backpacking, camping and fishing. He loved the views of the Sierras and hiked to the top of Mount Whitney several times. Stan traveled extensively to other places as well, visiting 34 countries and six continents. He enjoyed a cruise down the Amazon in 2003 and attended reunions at Ramey Air Force Base in Puerto Rico in 2005 and 2007. Last June he went on safari in Botswana. Above all, Stan was a loving family man who was most proud of his children, putting all five of them through college. When this was accomplished, he put his wife Lois through college as well (at UCLA). In addition to Lois, his wife of 60 years, Stan is survived by his beloved children, Stanley O. (wife Julienne) of Torrance, Susan (Richard Low) of San Francisco, Donald of Tujunga, Carol of Santa Monica, and Elizabeth (Robert Reeves) of Culver City. He loved and greatly admired his eight grandchildren. Stan is also survived by his sister Eugenia and her husband, Raymond Chuan. The funeral was private. A memorial service is pending. In lieu of flowers, donations for a scholarship in Stan’s name may be made to the Casper Mills Scholarship Foundation at 12340 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 212, Los Angeles, CA 90025.
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