Wayne M. Stanley

• By: admin
• On: 05/05/2025 18:06:22
• In: Local Indiana News
• Comments: 0

KOKOMO, Ind. – May 05, 2025 – It's with a heavy heart that the Bowe Digital team announces the unexpected passing of our CEO and founder, Wayne M. Stanley.

The 38-year-old Stanley, who died on May 1, was a friend and inspiration to many in the real estate title world and beyond. We thank everyone who has expressed condolences to the Bowe Digital team and the Stanley family during this time.

“Wayne wasn't just our leader. He was my mentor, my best friend and a part of my family. We talked every single day—about work, life, nonsense and everything in between,” said Heather Lunsford, Bowe Digital's chief operating officer.  

From the start, Bowe Digital emphasized family. The company's name honors Stanley's maternal grandfather, and a few of Stanley's siblings had a direct hand in the beginnings of the firm. Brother Glen Stanley designed the original logo, and sister Koko Davis assisted Stanley with content creation and planning until Lunsford became the company's first official hire a few months into the journey. Stanley's mother, Dorinda Davis, serves as Bowe Digital's director of special projects and is the company's primary handler of accounts, billing and other key tasks.

In addition to partner work and taking care of the Bowe Digital team, Stanley was a popular speaker on the industry's convention circuit. He often presented at events for ALTA, October Research, RESPRO and multiple state land title associations. He did this because he loved sharing his marketing knowledge with friends and colleagues.

Since Stanley's death, Bowe Digital has activated a business continuity plan and will communicate specifics to our partners and clients in the coming days and weeks. All of us ask for grace, understanding and a degree of privacy as we navigate this challenging time.

Even before the formation of Bowe Digital in June 2017, Stanley was well known in the title industry, thanks to his stint with the American Land Title Association from 2012 to 2017. During his tenure there, Stanley oversaw ALTA's popular Homeowner Outreach Program (HOP) and much more regarding branding, communication and marketing.

Before ALTA, Stanley worked in Washington D.C., for longtime Hoosier U.S. Sen. Richard G. Lugar following his graduation from Franklin College in Indiana in 2008. He relocated to his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana, when he launched Bowe Digital.

HousingWire recently named Stanley a Rising Star for the second year in a row for his leadership of Bowe Digital and his ongoing contributions to the title industry as a whole. In his award acceptance, Stanley attributed his success to a commitment to “lifelong learning” and improvement that started in college. That's a value our team has always appreciated during his life and will ensure that it lives on in our work and actions as we honor Stanley's legacy moving forward.

“It was a pillar of what the institution believed kept your eyes open to new possibilities throughout your life and career,” Stanley said when he was honored. “As I've gotten older, I think that philosophy has morphed into more of a 'stay curious' mentality.”

Finally, the Bowe Digital team would like to once again thank all of our partners, friends and others who have reached out to express condolences and share memories of Stanley. While we work to finalize a way for people to remember Stanley in a tangible way he would have wanted, memorial contributions in his name can be made to the American Cancer Society or the Love Pet Project in Zionsville, Indiana.