Stan "Da Man" Yasaitis-Rest in Peace my Union Brother

Our friend and colleague of 37 years, Stan Yasaitis, was diagnosed with cancer in February of this year. Given the effects of chemotherapy and radiation on his immune system, and due to the risks of Covid, Stan has gone on full medical leave. Over the last six months, he has used up his FMLA medical leave and is now on Income Continuation Insurance. There are significant medical bills (one out-of-pocket medical bill, alone, is $5,000) and, if the cancer wasn’t challenging enough, someone tried to steal his 2003 Dodge minivan, resulting in it being totaled by the insurance company.

Throughout his career, Stan has devoted himself tirelessly to his colleagues in their service to UW-Milwaukee and to his work on campus and throughout the University of Wisconsin System. He served as our long-time Classified Staff Union Steward for 36 years and then as our founding University Staff Senate Chair for the last decade. His recent diagnosis led to him stepping down from his Senate role.

Throughout his time at UWM, he has fought for and created better working conditions for all. His leadership effectiveness, intelligence, writing skills, and diplomacy with campus and system leadership contributed to much better workplace outcomes for all employees. He is a legend who has given much and to whom we owe a great deal.

Through every phase, from the early diagnoses and ongoing assessments to many rounds of radiation and chemotherapy treatment, Stan has been an incredibly courageous soul, fighting strongly and looking ahead. Like most people in the cancer club, his journey has not been a straight line from A to B. Instead, there have been many lab and blood workups, scans, biopsies, radiation, and chemotherapy, and additional findings and medications along the way for side effects and to help Stan’s immune system and bodily functions operate better.

Today, as he fights Leiomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue sarcoma, we ask for your help in financial contributions. We would like to raise at least $10,000 for Stan and his family for medical bills, replacement vehicle and other expenses. These funds will be of great assistance to Stan and relieve him of some of the worry that accompanies this challenging life situation. For those at UWM, it’s important to know that two of Stan’s three kids are currently Panthers—and we all know how challenging the costs of education are today. We will update this page as Stan’s journey continues and are incredibly grateful for any support that you can provide.