Stanley A. Stoncius

Stanley Anthony Stoncius, 93, of Nashua, well-known and respected educator and principal, passed away Friday afternoon, October 30, 2026 after a brief illness.

A native of Lithuania, he was born on May 11, 1933, a son of the late Pranas and Brone (Macernis) Stoncius. Stanley and his family immigrated to the United States in 1949 and has made his home in Nashua for over 75 years. He attended Sacred Heart School of St. Patrick’s Church and graduated from Nashua High School Class of 1953. He furthered his education at St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, graduating with the class of 1957 where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude in English and social studies. In the late 1950s, Stanley served in the Air Force and Air National Guard. After his military service, he earned his master’s degree in education from Boston University.

Stanley’s teaching career began at Narragansett Regional High School, where he taught English and civics for one year. The following year, 1958, he began teaching at Spring Street Junior High School. His teaching career was interrupted by the Berlin crisis in 1961, when he was recalled to active duty in the Air National Guard.

A year later, he was reassigned to a teaching post at Fairgrounds Junior High School. In 1969, when Nashua High School then located on Elm Street, went on dual sessions, he joined the high school faculty. In the fall of 1970, Mr. Stoncius became chairman of the English Department and named assistant principal in 1972. A year later, he became an associate principal and in January 1977, Stanley was named principal of New Hampshire’s largest high school after Thomas Stylianos, his friend and mentor, retired.

Among the many honors bestowed on Mr. Stoncius was a Doctor of Humane Letters (H.D.) award from St. Anselm’s College in 1989; was named Outstanding Principal by the NH Commissioner of Education, Robert Brunelle; Outstanding Young Man of the Year and Outstanding Young Teacher of the year by the Nashua Jaycees and the Leadership Award from the Nashua Teachers Association. In 1971, appreciative students dedicated the NHS yearbook to him.

Active in community affairs, Stanley was a member of the Rotary Club and served on the Board of Directors of the Boys Club, Mount St. Mary Seminary, Bishop Guertin High School and Junior Achievement. He was also active with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Stanley was a communicant of St. Patrick Church and was a communicant and lector of the former St. Casimir Church.

Members of his family include his brother, Vito Stoncius and his wife Jeannine; sister-in-law, Marilyn J. (Zedalis) Stoncius; nieces and nephews, Anne Stoncius, Ruth and Daniel Morrissette, Joan and Peter Fitzgerald, Frank J. and Renee Stoncius, Thomas Sarpnickas of Lithuania, Gary & Dottie Stoncius, and Dr. James and Jennifer Savickas; also many grandnieces, grandnephews and cousins residing in Lithuania. In addition to his parents, Stanley was also predeceased by his brother, Frank Stoncius; his sisters, Bertha Savickas and her husband Vytautas, and Aldona Sarpnickiene; and his sister-in-law, Claire (Noel) Stoncius.

There are no calling hours. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Patrick Church, 29 Spring Street, Nashua, Saturday morning, November 7th at 10 o’clock. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in Hudson for his immediate family only. Friends are invited to attend and asked to meet at the church.

Arrangements are in the care of the Farwell Funeral Service, 18 Lock Street, Nashua. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.farwellfuneralservice.com