Stanley W. Albury

Stanley Whitfield Albury, of Harlingen, Texas, passed away on June 21st, 2026, at the age of 80. Born June 13th, 1946, in Nassau, Bahamas, Stanley was the youngest of five siblings born to the late Joseph and Matred Albury. He spent the first 33 years of his life in the Bahamas before moving to South Texas in 1979 where he founded his own business and raised his family.

Stan was a proud Bahamian “conchy Joe”, through and through. Raised in the home above his parents’ Nassau grocery store, he loved telling stories about his childhood in New Providence and the unique experiences he had there. His love of calypso music, Bahamian history, gardening, baseball, and tropical fruit (especially when added to homemade ice cream) was exceeded only by his love of family and those lucky enough to be his friend. Stan was known for his calm, relaxed demeanor, but he also had a sly, subtle mischievousness about him. His multidecade prank of sending an anonymous Christmas coconut (without explanation, return name, or address) to his wife’s best friend, was evidence. Involving co-conspirators to send coconuts from El Paso, College Station, Plano, and other locales, he took glee in overhearing the friend once say, “Whoever keeps sending me these coconuts must be a sick individual!”

In 1973 Stan married his great love, Colleen Kane Albury, and started the journey that would eventually bring him to South Texas. She said it was an easy decision to date him, “a handsome man was sending me free plane tickets to visit him in the Bahamas”. Partners in love and life, Stan and Colleen spent the early years of their marriage living on a secluded beach in the Bahamas, in a home without A/C, with rain cisterns for water, and a generator for nighttime electricity. They were surrounded by Stan’s large, close extended family of parents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews. In 1975 they welcomed their island Bahamian baby girl, Lee Ann Albury, and the three lived a quiet life of sun and sand while Stan worked in refrigeration.

In 1979 they moved to Harlingen and welcomed a son, Joseph Albury, who shared his love of history and baseball, shortly thereafter. Though he left behind one large family, he was embraced by his new large family of in-laws. Growing up on “island-time”, he quickly assimilated into South Texas, even if there were some learning curves. Having learned to drive on the left side of the road, he confessed he “may have” terrified an elderly Harlingen woman by driving on the wrong side of the road once. He was happy to find the Valley also had comforts like fresh seafood, extremely hot peppers, and most of his favorite tropical fruits (when not attacked by freezes and squirrels). He also found a quick ally in his mother-in-law who took his side in any spousal argument, telling Colleen, “He left his whole family to come to Texas; he needs someone on his side,”.

A self-made man, Stanley and Colleen were entrepreneurs who each had their own successful businesses. He was the owner and operator of Commercial Refrigeration Service for over 30 years and made decades-long customers across the Valley. He was especially fond of his farmer and restaurant customers, to whom he attributed his early success, saying if you treated them fairly, “you have customers not for life, but for generations,”. As a small-business owner he did business with those who did business with him. Upon arriving in the States, no bank would give him a loan to buy a work-truck except for Harlingen State Bank, and, in gratitude, he made sure to keep at least one account there until the bank sold. His loyalty to his customers was only exceeded by that to his family.

He sacrificed to put both his children through college so they wouldn’t be burdened with student loans. When his wife became ill, he would spend his whole day sitting with her and tending to her while she was in assisted living. He would, without complaint, be there to assist a mother-in-law who needed help, a daughter whose car was broken down, or a son who couldn’t figure out an electrical issue. He was the designated bed-time story reader to Lee Ann and Joseph when they were young, and the calm “PaPa” who granddaughters Gwen and Kate could retreat to for quiet kindness in a sometimes loud, rambunctious family. He was everything one could want from a husband, father, grandfather, in-law, or uncle.

As Stanley’s health deteriorated over the last several years, he was blessed to have two special ladies looking out for him. His daughter, Lee Ann, was his caretaker and fiercest advocate. They spent hours together reading about Bahamian history, hurricanes, and researching genealogy. In the late nights when he couldn’t sleep, it was Lee Ann who was there to provide comfort. Stanley’s sister-in-law, Kelly Roberts, also went above and beyond in her efforts to help. She could always be counted upon to drop off home-cooked meals, run errands, and bring by Bahamian treats that would brighten his day. Their care, love, and support were a beautiful testament to the mark Stanley made on those whom he loved and loved him back.

Stanley was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Colleen, his siblings (Albert, Gerald, Fred, and Alice), several loved nieces and nephews, cherished in-laws, and many more. He is survived locally by his children Lee Ann Albury and Joseph (Tiffany) Albury, granddaughters, Gwendolyn and Kathryn Albury, sister-in-law Kelly Roberts, brother-in-law Terry Kane, nephews Tracy (Erin) Roberts and Philip (Mallory) Roberts, and niece Hillary (Tim) Cronin, along with several great nieces and great nephews. Stanley also greatly loved his extended Bahamian family and is survived by sister-in-law Suzanne Albury, sister-in-law Janice Albury, nephews Elliot, Charlie, Mark, and Tommy Albury, and his nieces Carol, Connie, and Kathleen Albury, along with their spouses and children.

Though the family is saddened at his passing, they are so happy to see him reunited with his beloved Colleen, parents, and siblings. We are certain he and Colleen are gardening together, having a Kalik, dining on conch fritters, and enjoying his mom’s peas and rice with Bahamian Mac and Cheese. The Sloop John B has set sail, Dad. We will see you at Great Junkanoo in the sky. Go easy on the guava and mango ice cream; we’re sure Mom already told you it makes you sneeze.

A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 AM, Friday, July 17th at Buck Ashcraft San Benito Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bahamas Red Cross, (www.bahamasredcross.org) or Sunny Glen Children’s Home (http://www.sunnyglen.org)