Erwin Lee Stanton, 78, of Sherwood entered into eternal rest Monday, March 31, 2025 at his home.
The family welcomes guests for a celebration of Erwin’s life at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at Lighthouse of Athens, 310 S. Capital Ave., Athens, MI with Pastor Daryl Dexter of Sherwood Free Methodist Church officiating.
Cremation will follow and a private interment will be at a later date in Sherwood Cemetery.
A visitation will be held beginning at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, as well as Tuesday, April 8 from 4:00-8:00 p.m., also at Lighthouse of Athens.
Erwin was born in Sturgis, Michigan January 9, 1947 to Alva John and Leeta (Ladyman) Stanton. Erwin graduated from Athens High School with the Class of 1965, where he participated in the choir.
He was part of 4-H, where he and his family showed both sheep and steers. Erwin also competed for many years in the Junior Livestock Sheep Show in Detroit.
His favorite pastimes included racing (and sometimes crashing) fast cars. He was also elected most likely to be late by his fellow classmates, which the family is happy to know that this was not a characteristic that stuck with him. Following high school, Erwin went to work on the family farm in 1965.
Erwin married Mary (Miller) on January 15, 1965. Together, they raised three wonderful sons, John, Jeff, and Jason.
Early years were spent with John and Jeff on the farm as well as traveling to motorcycle races. Racing was a huge part of weekend family time, where they traveled throughout the state of Michigan, racing at local tracks in the early 1980s. Erwin was the mechanic for the boys.
Some of their best memories were in the minnie whinnie motorhome, where they drove countless hours listening to old country music with frequent stops at McDonald’s. Other pastimes included spending time at the family cabin up north snowmobiling and riding dirt bikes.
The best times were spent on the family farm. Erwin and his father went to livestock sales throughout the week to purchase lambs that were brought back to the farm in order to raise and sell. They also had a wool business where they bought wool from other farmers throughout Michigan and sold it to Groenewold Fur Company in Forreston, Illinois.
The farm eventually focused more on crops than livestock and his youngest son Jason had the same passion for the farm as his dad. Together, they worked to make the farm what it is today. They spent countless hours farming as well as pulling antique tractors. Again, Erwin showcased his mechanical ability working on Jason’s tractors as they traveled all throughout the state of Michigan competing.
Erwin also enjoyed many years of work at the former Spoor and Parlin, where he assembled various pieces of farm equipment as well as being a semi-truck driver delivering equipment.
A farmer never really retires, but when he slowed down working, Erwin enjoyed riding his Harley, visiting friends in Florida and spending time with his brother, sister, close friends, and sons at the lake. If you ever were “back at the lake”, you know how much passion Erwin had for this property which made it such a wonderful gathering place. In his “retirement”, he was often found chasing parts, custom harvesting for local farmers, or visiting the various donut shops!
Erwin loved his family and cherished time spent together. He also accepted and mentored many of the boy’s friends who loved working and playing on the farm. He was also a man of faith and enjoyed his Sherwood Free Methodist church family.
Erwin is survived by his sons, John (Anna) Stanton, Jeff (Sara) Stanton, and Jason (Taylor) Stanton, all from Sherwood; his nine grandchildren; his five great-grandchildren; his brother Ed (Cindy) Stanton, and his sister Ellen (George) Hopkins. Erwin was preceded in death by his parents, John and Leeta.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in honor of Erwin to the Sherwood Free Methodist Church at SFMC, 1161 Rustic Hills Drive, Union City, MI 49094 or the Athens Youth Council, 310 W. South Street, Athens, MI 49011.
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