The Reverend Canon, Dr. Stanley Franklin Imboden

The Reverend, Canon, Dr. Stanley Franklin Imboden, 93, entered Eternal rest on December 21 at home, surrounded by his loving family. For sixteen years, Stanley Imboden was Rector of Lancaster's historic Saint James Episcopal Church, which is the largest Parish in the diocese. During his years at Saint James Church, he was a board member with Lancaster County Family and Children Services, The Mental Health Association, and assisted it in founding the Harb Adult program for homeless. In 1980, Saint James opened the day room and breakfast program, called the Anchorage, where volunteers made breakfast for the feeding of daily average of 150 transient, hungry and homeless persons. In 2020, the Anchorage moved to First United Methodist Church and became Anchor Lancaster, one of the largest nonprofits serving the needy in the area. The St. James burial grounds were renewed with gardens, memorial plaques and walkways welcoming the people of the community to this beautiful intercity greenspace. Between 1978 and 1994, the church endowment fund for future Ministries was tripled. He was named Rector Emeritus of Saint James in 2004. In his retirement, he served one year as Diocesan administrator, and from 1995 to 2002, he was Rector of Bangor Church in Churchtown, which was founded in 1722 as the mother Church on the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Graduating in 1950 from Reading High and Lebanon Valley College in 1955, he became a student pastor in the Evangelical Congregational Churches in Womelsdorf and Steelton. In 1958, he received his Masters of Sacred Theology degree from Temple University's Conwell Seminary and entered the ministry of the Episcopal Church through the cathedral of Saint Stephens in Harrisburg, where he was ordained in 1959. He attended the college of preachers at the National Cathedral in Washington in 1972, and in 1980, he was named honorary Canon of Saint Stephen's Cathedral in Harrisburg. He served on the finance commission, the Department of Missions, Board of Trustees of the Episcopal home, Commission on Ministry, Stewardship, Planned Giving Committee, and was Chaplain at the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew. His first assignment was the yoked Churches of St. Paul's and Hope Church, both in Manheim. The last sermon he preached was at an anniversary service at Hope Church in 2023. In 1962, while serving at St Marys in Waynesboro he reopened the historic Mount Alto Episcopal Church. In 1965 he was selected by Bishhop Heistan to be Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Harrisburg. Forty African-American families were invited into this Parish, which was recognized throughout the Episcopal Church as an early model of Racial Unity as the first integrated Episcopal Church in Harrisburg. In 1967, he was called to the Church of the Redemption in Southampton and led a ten-year-old suburban Church to a membership of over 1300 and a day school of 60 children. Then at St Andrews Parish in York, where he served from 1972 to 1978, a new church school building was built. Stan was a member of the Lancaster Pirates and Rotary Club of Lancaster, where, in 1990, he became an honorary Paul Harris fellow. In addition to his church work, Stan has been an ambassador for his alma mater, Lebanon Valley College, where in 1988 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree when he was the preacher at the Baccalaureate Services. As an avid motorcyclist, he traveled to Nova Scotia and made Cross County Country trips most of them to the Rocky Mountains and southwestern deserts on his Honda Goldwings. He visited Episcopal Navajo missions on five different tours. Born in Reading, PA in 1932, he was the son of Livingston and Margret (Beyerle) Imboden He was married 49 years to Diane Amelia Shartle, who died in 2004. In 2006, he married Sandra Mariah Couch. Their love story was chronicled in the November 2017 edition of Lancaster County Magazine. In addition to his wife, Sandra, he is survived by his son, Eric, partner of Olivia Lenker in York. Daughter-in-law Rose of Pequea, Grandchildren Eric also of Pequea, Madalyn, partner of Sawyer of York, Diane of Philadelphia, and Levi Lenker and his wife Adrianna of Middletown, DE, and Great Granddaughter Liviana Lenker. He is also survived by his sisters Jane of Pottstown and Doris of Enola. He is predeceased by his Son Alton and his three brothers Walter, Roger, and Richard. His faithful Labrador Retriever Daisy, will miss her 'Daddy'. After retirement, Stanley traveled in his motorhome throughout the Northeast and the South. When not traveling, Stan enjoyed playing Scrabble, cooking out on the deck, playing ball with his dog, and embracing the beauty of nature that surrounded their home. He also enjoyed flirting with the ladies at his favorite store, Matthew 25 of Lititz, and chatting with neighbors and friends at his local corner restaurant, Brickerville House. The family would like to thank the nurses and caregivers of UPMC Lititz, and Hospice and Community Care Services will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Bangor Episcopal Church Building Fund Churchtown, PA

The Reverend Canon, Dr. Stanley Franklin Imboden

December 21, 2025