WEST PITTSTON — Friends on Monday remembered former Luzerne County sheriff and West Pittston borough council member Barry Stankus, who has died at the age of 69.
“Not only were we friends, but he lived across the street from me. He was pretty special,” said Lynette Villano, who had been chairwoman of the Luzerne County Republican Party when Stankus was elected sheriff.
“This is a huge loss to the community,” Villano said.
Stankus was a 1968 graduate of Wyoming Area High School, and served for 25 years on the Pennsylvania State Police. He served as the sheriff for eight years, and after being voted out of office in 2007, he was elected to the West Pittston borough council, where he stayed for several years.
Stankus had been dealing with some health scares in recent months, but in a Facebook post from his birthday in December, Stankus expressed his gratitude, as well as optimism about his health situation.
“It was tough, but I made it to 69,” Stankus wrote. “God willing, I will see 70.”
Bill Goldsworthy, former mayor of West Pittston and now the executive director of the Wyoming Valley chapter of the Red Cross, considered Stankus to be his oldest friend.
“We were more like brothers,” Goldsworthy said. “I was an only child, so Barry was like my adopted brother.”
Goldsworthy and Stankus knew each other since the time they were teenagers running a paper route through the streets of West Pittston.
“He used to ride the bike, and I’d ride on the back and toss the papers,” Goldsworthy said.
Later in life, after Stankus became sheriff, Goldsworthy says that he learned a valuable lesson from his old friend.
“He would always have an open-door policy, and about 20 different cannisters of candy on his desk,” Goldworthy said.
“I would ask him why, and he’d say ‘so people feel comfortable and open up to me more.’ So to this day, my door’s always open and candy is always on my desk.”
Barry Hosier ran alongside Stankus for their respective seats on West Pittston borough council.
“We were initially going to only put out one sign to campaign that said “Vote for Barry,” Hosier said. “I think we made a good team.”
In addition to his public service, Stankus could always be found for a good laugh at the deli counter at Gerrity’s Supermarket.
“You could never get out of there without a laugh,” Hosier said. “He knew everyone, and everyone knew him.”
Villano recalled her friend’s ability to make people laugh, coupled with his sense of duty.
“He had wonderful sense of humor, but he was so serious about being a sheriff,” she said.
