Daphne Diane Stemple

Daphne was born at St. Luke's hospital in Houston, Texas to Charles Edna and Channing Wood, joining siblings Sherry, Charmain, and Channing. When Edna married Bernard Goodman, her family expanded to include Lois, Jay, and Sheri.

A tomboy throughout her life, she loved to play any and all sports. A reliable source confirms that as young girl, she beat all the neighborhood boys, much to their chagrin. If she could play outside, she did - and she made friends up and down the street. Daphne could make friends with anyone in just about a minute, a quality she retained through her life. She was an enthusiastic Girl Scout Brownie, proudly wearing her uniform even to school.

Daphne graduated from Spring Branch High School in 1976, where her favorite pastime was skipping class. During the time she attended Houston Community College, she thoroughly enjoyed her psychology classes.

Growing up, Daphne and her friend Kathy were thick as thieves. She later added Jeff, Ralph, Mary and Bob to her posse. It was during a gathering of some of these friends, playing Dungeons and Dragons, that she met her future husband, Thomas Stemple. The two were married on June 21st, 1982 - the first day of summer. It was a small, simple wedding at City Hall in Houston, TX surrounded by friends and family. Their first daughter, Katrina, was born July 4th, 1984 followed by a second daughter, Rachael, on August 24th, 1987.

For Daphne and Tom's honeymoon, they drove to California where they visited San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, and took the San Diego Harbor Cruise all in one day. They also visited Disneyland for the first time.

Daphne loved to garden, especially interested in flowers. She also loved crafting. This was a great strength during her many years spent as a Girl Scout leader. She could make a mean dreamcatcher, as well as create and paint a wide variety of Christmas ornaments. Her creative skills were also employed in the design and creation of costumes, for Halloween, for Texas Renaissance Festival, and for everything in-between.

Daphne was involved with Holy Cross Lutheran Church for many years. She taught Sunday School, organized and orchestrated Vacation Bible School, as well as any other task she could volunteer for. She loved being busy and volunteering. This extended to her work with her children's PTA and sports organizations - her halftime supply of sliced oranges and Capri Suns were much loved.

To call Daphne a dog lover would be a huge understatement. She was a proud dog parent to Bojangles, Lady, Tramp, Trusty, Rocky, and Jack. But her favorite, her soul sister, was Isabelle - her Bella, an adopted Staffordshire Terrier.

Daphne was at her happiest attending live shows. She caught the bug after being taken her first concert, The Monkees, by Bernard. Her favorite were rock concerts, but she loved almost any live music. She even followed her favorite musician, Todd Rundgren, with Kathy for a short time. She kept her concert ticket stubs in a tin after filling an album with them.

Daphne's love of reading was infectious. She liberally pushed books, such as the Hobbit, into the hands of young impressionable minds, sparking lifelong interests in reading. Along with her records, she prized her book collection, but would, without a second thought, loan them to anyone.

Daphne was a jack of all trades. She enjoyed her time working customer service at Southwestern Bell, where she won awards for her work three years in a row. She also loved her work as a in-home childcare provider, wrangling a gaggle of children, including her own, happily and capably for many years.

Daphne passed on January 4th, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona due to natural causes. She is survived by her loving husband, Tom, and two daughters, Katrina and Rachael. Services held at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home and Cemetery on Friday, January 15th where she was also laid to rest, near her parents.