Gladine Stirman
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Gladine Jones Stirman went to be with her Lord and Savior on
Monday, the 19th of July, 2021 at the age of 91.5. During her final months she was surrounded by loving family members who visited her at The Meridian in Galveston, Texas. Funeral services are 2:00pm Sunday July 25, 2021 at Carnes Brothers Funeral Home in Galveston. Graveside services are 4:00pm Monday at Bear Springs Cemetery in Carbon, Texas. www.carnesbrothers.com
Gladine was born on January 3, 1930 to Willis Thomas and Lena Annie Jones. She and her identical twin Maurine were the first babies of the New Year born in Temple, Texas. The twins were 2 of 11 born into this depression-era family. Their childhood was spent in Baytown Texas and was full of hard work, yet plenty of music, laughter, storytelling and Christian Faith. After graduating from Lee High School in Baytown (1948), the two sisters headed up to Abilene Christian College to continue their education. Gladine met the handsome, returned-from-war Fred Stirman on her first day there, and they dated for the fall semester and married on June 10, 1949 in Baytown. After Honeymooning in Galveston, they moved to Abilene where she lived for 72 years. Fred passed away on October 14, 2014. They had recently celebrated 65 years of marriage!
Family was priority #1, and Gladine and Fred adored their 3 sons and enjoyed their hands-on involvement in the educational and athletic pursuits of Greg, Gary and Glen. Multiple school sports and every summer league found Gladine in charge of concession stands and mom duties. All 3 sons received scholarships to play football on the university level. They enthusiastically welcomed their son's wives and then the grandchildren born into their family. They were active, travelling Grandparents who took every opportunity to encourage and cheer. Gladine and Fred were driving forces in gathering their Jones and Stirman Siblings yearly, and the large extended Family Reunions were never missed. Gladine loved spending time with her numerous nieces and nephews and their expanding families, spanning into 4 generations. Gladine and Fred had room for one more son, and "adopted" Kenyan runner Kipruto Soimo during his days at ACUand remained close through the rest of their lives.
Gladine's education was interrupted when she married Fred after her freshman year at ACC, but she was determined to finish her degree and at age 52 got her BS in Teaching/Reading, making straight A's. She taught thousands of students over the next 13 years and had a powerful influence for good in the Abilene Independent School District, including being elected president of the Abilene Classroom Teachers Association. She also taught Sunday school at Woodlawn Church of Christ and was active in World Missions and Women's Ministry roles.
Gladine enjoyed air and "road-trip" travels and visited all 50 states with Fred. They spent a lot of Friday and Saturday evenings driving down Hwy 36 to Olny, where they Square-Danced with a club. She appreciated nature's bountiful colors and joined the Abilene Garden Club. She also collected items of beauty and excitedly ordered her Neiman Marcus Christmas Snow-Globes when the catalogue came each year. Each Holiday Season found Gladine decorating lavishly with items from her stored treasures.
Later years provided time to watch sports events on TV, and she was a huge fan of ACU Athletics, the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Cowboys and anything on the GOLF Channel. She spoke knowledgably about many athletes.
Gladine is survived by sons Greg (Peggy) Stirman, Glen (Brenda) Stirman, Kip (Daisy) Soimo, sister Betty Dutton (Johnny), in-laws Julie Stirman, Lucy Townsend, Dean Howard, Beth & John Gipson and Sue-Ann Jones.
14 Grandchildren and 8 Great-Grands called her Mimi! Gladine's dozens of nephews and nieces were precious to her. She was preceded in death by her husband Fred Stirman and son Gary Stirman, her siblings Genevieve Jones, WT Jones, Donald Jones, Maurine Wadley Dyer and Milton Edward Jones, In-law siblings, Sam Townsend, Loma Howard, Helena Jones, Alva Jones, Ina Mae Jones, Abe Wadley, and Larry Dyer.
If you desire, loving remembrances to honor Gladine may be sent to Abilene Christian University Athletics, Women of ACU Scholarship Fund, or Christian Service Center of Abilene.