Stan Trail Obituary

Stan M. Trail

Mar 19, 1930 - Sep 13, 2025

DeKalb, Illinois

Stan Trail (a.k.a. Stanley M. Trail), after a not particularly courageous battle with old age, lost that struggle and died at Oak Crest Retirement Center in DeKalb, Illinois, Saturday, September 13, 2025.

The third of three sons of working immigrant parents, C. Archie and Alma M. (Rae) Trail, he was born at home in Bristol, Connecticut, March 19, 1930. He attended public schools in Bristol and Sandusky, Ohio, and graduated from Sandusky High School in the top 90 percent of his class in June 1947. At the age of 20, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bowling Green State University, with majors in Mathematics and minors in English and Psychology.

In late winter 1950-51, he entered the United States Army. He successfully completed the Army's Basic and then its Advanced Infantry Training Programs at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Although not in the Infantry very long, he was a quick learner when it came to the trooper lexicon and remained fluent with it throughout his life. In 1953, he separated from the Army in Chicago, where he had been with the Office of the Commandant at Fifth Army Headquarters. After his separation, he worked as a laborer in various industries, including factories, home construction, and road building, in Connecticut and Ohio. He returned to Bowling Green for a Bachelor of Science in Education and then taught mathematics in Cleveland (Ohio) Public Schools. He went from there to The Graduate School at the University of Connecticut (Storrs), from which he received a Master of Arts degree in June 1955. He continued at UConn as a full-time student until 1957, when the federal government's funding support for him was exhausted. He then took a position at Rhode Island College of Education (later Rhode Island College) as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics. In June 1961, he received his doctoral degree (Ph.D.) from UConn, and, in the summer of 1962, attended a National Science Foundation Summer Institute for College Mathematics Teachers at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater). He remained there as a part-time instructor in Mathematics and a part-time statistics graduate student. In June 1967, he graduated from OSU with a Ph. D. in Mathematical Statistics. That Fall, he joined the Mathematics Department (later the Department of Mathematical Sciences) at Northern Illinois University and helped in the founding of the Department's Statistics Division (later Statistics Department). He retired from NIU in June 1995.

In December 1966, he and B. Ann Catlin Davis, a very long time after they first met, were married in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Stan and Ann came to DeKalb with their three daughters in August 1967 and had great lives there until her death did them part.

At times, he was a member of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, the American Statistical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the Mathematical Association of America. He was a supporter of the Westminster Presbyterian Church of DeKalb and enjoyed skiing and racquetball when he was able.

He was almost always comfortable with small children and with animals. He was an M-1 sharpshooter and later a pacifist. Although he was somewhat slight in stature, no one ever stole his lunch money, and no one ever kicked sand in his face. He was of Scottish descent. He did not really know what an app was. Sometimes he did not completely understand a New Yorker cartoon. He was not particularly timid when faced with risky situations.

He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; his son, Jeffrey A. Trail; his stepson, Michael D. Davis; his brothers, Robert W. Trail and Douglas R. Trail; and his nephew, Gary Trail.

He is survived by his daughters (who on many occasions shared in the saving of his life), Sally Davis of DeKalb, Candace (Richard) Reeves of Lakeway, Texas, and Lisa (Vit) Stravinskas of Rockford, Illinois. Other survivors include his grandchildren, Michael Pipestone (Maggie Riegel), Lena Ann Parrott (Derrik Fox), Daniel (Carissa) Summerskas, Matthew Stravinskas, and M.E. Stravinskas (Marco Brandt Lopez); his nephews, Steve, Dave and Chris Trail; and his niece, Pamela Trailsmith.

It was his wish that, in lieu of flowers, friends, family and everybody else perform an extra, deliberate and unselfish act of kindness favoring a known or unknown, deserving or undeserving person of their choice (perhaps a florist).

The family would like to thank the employees of Oak Crest for the friendship and attention he received over the years. We would also like to thank Toni Hughart, DNP of Northern Illinois Palliative Care, and the staff of Northern Illinois Hospice, all of whom were compassionate partners in Stan's final journey.

A Celebration of Life will be from 2-4:30 p.m. with a sharing of remembrances at 3 p.m. Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Anderson Funeral Home, 2011 S. 4th St, DeKalb, IL 60115. Private interment will take place at Fairview Cemetery.

For information, visit www.AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022.