Obituary of Barbara Lou Rice Stockman

After 5 years of Alzheimer’s and less than a year with lung cancer, on January 30, 2020, the Lord called Barbara “Bobbie” home to be with him and family passed before. She passed peacefully holding the hand of the man she loved for more than 70 years, her husband, Russell Stockman.Bobbie was the daughter of Carl and Bernice Rice born in Kansas City, Missouri. She had one older sister, Betty who was 6 years older than Bobbie. They were very close. Her father died when she was very young and she was raised by her mother and sister. She worked for the phone company and loved to talk about her experience as an operator. She met Russ when she was 16 and they were married a few years later after he returned from Korea serving with the Marine Corps.They were blessed with three children, Gerald Wayne (who preceded her in death), Deborah Lou and David Russell; four grandchildren, Michael Ray Ruff, Russell Allen Stockman, Shelby Stockman West, and Jamie Stockman Dworsky; and one great granddaughter, Copeland Nan Dworsky.Early in their marriage, they moved several times following the work in the construction business. They eventually ended up in Houston in the early 1960’s along with Russ’s Mother, Father and many siblings (he had 9 brothers and sisters). They were part of a successful construction business with some of the family building apartment complexes. Holidays were always centered on family. Most of the time, the family gatherings were so large, they occurred at a city park and on the family ranch in later years. Those times created many happy memories of their children and all their cousins playing and growing up together. In the early 80’s, they moved to Dallas to start a new endeavor developing condominiums. They designed and built a beautiful home near Love Field. It was in a zero lot line neighborhood. That meant no yard. The entire back yard was porch and pool. Bobbie greatly enjoyed working with an interior decorator to create the house of Russ’s and her dreams. It was quite a showplace and Bobbie really enjoyed entertaining friends and family in that house.They eventually decided to get out of the city and bought a house and acreage west of Fort Worth. Some years later, they built a house next door to David and Donna in Weatherford, Texas. The plan was for them to be close to their grandchildren. Bobbie was a big part of the grandkids lives growing up and she spent the last 20 years of her life helping to raise them. She loved to babysit them. They always had to bake cookies and Grandma had a fantastic library of videos to watch. She got to see all three grow up to become Magna Cum Laude college graduates. She was extremely proud to be recognized as the “longest married couple” at both their granddaughters’ weddings.Together, they had quite an adventurous life. Some of their adventures included driving across the USA in their motor home, being rescued by the Coast Guard from a sinking yacht, traveling up and down the Mississippi river on a tow boat, spinning out of control floating down the Mississippi on a house barge, touring the Christian sites in Israel, visiting Paris, France, taking both of their mothers to Mexico in the motorhome along with many other vacations around the US with kids and grandchildren.Bobbie was very active in the Catholic Church and spent many years volunteered at the Food Bank at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in White Settlement. She also enjoyed bible study class, served as a sponsor for RCIA candidates and made many lifelong friendships while a Parishioner there. After moving to Weatherford she and Russ attended Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish, where she again made many new friends.She also loved to sew and quilt. Anyone visiting was invited to see her sewing room that Russ had added on to the house for her. Bobbie created several keepsake quilts for her family. She enjoyed teaching her daughter in law, Donna, to quilt in her sewing room.When she started developing Alzheimer’s, Bobbie understood what was happening and persuaded David and Donna to attend an information seminar about the disease. It was a valuable source to help Donna and David to take care of her. She hated that she could not remember things. One thing that she did was to speak up more than she ever did about things happening around her. She really enjoyed it, too. The grandkids would often call her “sassy grandma.” When she succumbed to the lung cancer, the hospice nurses kept her comfortable and the end came very quickly and peacefully.Everyone will remember her as fun person to be around with a wonderful sense of humor, always with a smile on her face and something good to say. She touched many lives and will be greatly missed by family and friends.