Beulah "Niecie" Bernice Derousse

Niecie was born on May 17, 1940, the third of four daughters, to parents, Catherine (Trippe) and Sam Carroll of in Baytown, TX. They were a close-knit family who loved each other and the Lord. All the children were musically gifted, and Niecie’s talents were with the flute, piano and in her voice. Her family centered their life around their local church and in 1958 she graduated from high school and headed for college. She attended Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas where she flourished. Niecie was selected as a member of the “Starlite sextet” and made numerous appearances collegiately as well as on radio and television. She graduated with an associate in arts in 1960 and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Wesleyan College in Ft. Worth Texas in order to become an elementary school teacher.

Niecie took her first teaching job in Pasadena, Texas and worked there for several years until she was ready for a new adventure. She applied for a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) position and was assigned to Midway Island and then to Germany where she met her future husband Skip, a linguist in the Air Force and his eight-year-old son Tommy. They married on October 24, 1972, in Basle-City, Switzerland and on August 5, 1973, welcomed their only child, Wade, into their family at Ft. Belvoir Virginia. As is common in the military they moved around frequently and spent time in Japan, Germany and Ohio before retiring to Niecie’s home state of Texas. During all the moves Niecie was able to continue teaching and pursuing the hobbies she loved. She found joy in working outside keeping the yard and plants healthy and happy. Her home was beautiful and thoughtfully decorated with work from her hands as she was skilled in cross-stitch, painting, and knitting. While working as a teacher and raising a family she made God a priority and was a founding member of the Lake Travis United Methodist Church. Upon retirement from teaching at Lake Travis ISD, she became the church secretary and continued to sing in the choir. Skip and Niecie moved once more to Bastrop and became a part of the community there through the United Methodist Church at Bastrop. Niecie was a great cook and was known for her pecan pie, chicken fried steak and chocolate pie. She always made time for her sisters, was a devoted wife, and an adoring mother of her “fur babies” numerous cats and dogs over the years. Niecie was blessed with 7 grandchildren and moved to San Antonio after Skip’s death in 2016 to be closer to her son and his family.

She was preceded in death by, her parents, sisters Kathy and Nell; husband Skip; and step-son Tommy; Beulah is survived by her son, Wade Lee DeRousse; daughter-in-law, Jennifer Stangle; grandchildren, Caity, Meghan, Samuel, AnnMarie, Addison, Jeremiah and Isaac; sister, Francis; and many other extended family members and good friends.

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s, Romans 14:8

A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 11:30 a.m., at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 4201 De Zavala Rd., San Antonio, TX.

Interment to follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.