Stanley Wallis

Stanley Wallis, the owner of a 5- and 10-cent store in Dobbs Ferry for 20 years, died July 2 at Rosary Hill Home in Thornwood. He was 86. Born in Mount Vernon to the former Pauline Shenker and Louis Wallis, he grew up on City Island and graduated from Christopher Columbus HS. He enlisted in the Navy and served on the USS Tarawa before being honorably discharged in 1946. He attended Brooklyn Technical College and the Arts Students League, and went on to work in sales at Gimbels in NYC. While there, he met Lorraine Chotiner of New Rochelle, who he married in 1953. From 1955 until 1975, he owned S P Wallis 5 & 10 on Cedar Street in Dobbs Ferry, a village landmark where residents bought everything from holiday decorations to light bulbs and thread. His generosity and kindness, as well as his ability to draw from an endless stream of jokes at the drop of hat, made the store a popular destination. He was active in Kiwanis and other village activities. He went on to work in the men's department at Bloomingdales in White Plains for 20 years, where he was known as Stan the Man, and moved to Heritage Hills in Somers in 1998. He was predeceased by a brother, Robert, and a sister, Evelyn Skalka. Besides Lorraine, his wife of 60 years, he is survived by his brother, Bernard; two sons, Rob of Briarcliff Manor and Eric of Westfield, NJ; his daughters in law, Mary Ann and Jennifer; and 5 grandchildren, Dr. Kate, Samuel, John, Jordan and Amanda. Funeral services will be held at 11 am on 7/5 at Mount Hope Cemetery in Hastings, with shiva observed from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 pm on Sunday, 7/7, and from 7 to 9 p.m on Monday, 7/8, in Briarcliff. Donations can be made to Rosary Hill Home, 600 Lind Ave., Hawthorne, NY 10532, where the sisters' and staff's loving care surely prolonged his life by at least a month and brought him and his family amazing comfort and boundless support.