Estelle Stroud

Estelle Stroud, 74, peacefully went home to the Lord while at her house in The Woodlands on June 9, 2020. With her family by her side, the room was full of love and God’s presence. She waited until the entire rosary was prayed and then let go of all the pain, physical limitations, and illness that was caused by a failing liver which she battled against for 20 years. Her strength and stubbornness kept her going all of those years!

We are confident that she made the transition from her earthly body to her spiritual body successfully. As we sat there with each other an hour after she passed, we were visited by a beautiful (larger than normal) Monarch butterfly which came to the windows in the bedroom. It stayed a while and fluttered around outside around the tree branches and then disappeared. We have never seen a butterfly like it in the area. It was a true miracle and reassured us (even my notoriously skeptical dad) that she was alright and safe.

Audra:

As I write this, I can feel her wanting to make corrections. She was an amazing teacher for the majority of her life, and never stopped teaching even after retiring after 40 years. She loved to correct our grammar, spelling, and run on sentences, which I’m sure there are plenty of in this piece!

She taught second-grade bilingual (English as a second language) for many, many years, and was loved dearly by her students. I know this because I went to the same school where she taught (Nettie Marshall Elementary in Nacogdoches, TX) and was in the classroom right across the hall. Sometimes I would go into her room and watch her teach. I was always proud to say “that’s my mom” and saw how passionate she was about bettering the lives of each kid that came through her well-decorated classrooms. She amazed me.

And not only me.

Her friends and colleagues from the different schools she taught in throughout the years have all told me how amazing she was. Her kindness, generosity, and sweet, gentle heart made a lasting impression on so many people. She had an impact on not only the kids but on the teachers and schools as well. She put her heart and soul into teaching and put on some of the best Cinco de Mayo programs the school had ever seen! I remember her spending so much time sewing and preparing costumes for the show and teaching the dances to the kids to share the knowledge of her Mexican culture. She was extremely proud and wanted others to appreciate it. I was honored when I got to dance in one of the programs, and got to finally wear one of the beautiful skirts she handmade that I watched so many girls get to wear over the years.

She was also known for our annual Christmas caroling party, which my dad just confessed he never liked! But she loved it. She loved hosting and gathering great people with lots of great food and decorations. She spent days and days preparing for the parties and every last detail down to the perfect triangle cut finger sandwiches that I helped her make. If it looked “ugly” it wouldn’t go on the tray. Every wreath, every strand of lights, every potholder or puff paint sweatshirt was perfect.

As my brother and I grew up she (forced) encouraged us to play as many sports as possible. She was at every practice, every game, and every tournament of ours rain, sleet, snow, or extreme Texas heat. Often heard yelling at us from the bleachers or stands, sometimes even getting a red card or thrown out of a game. She was passionate not so much about sports but more so for Josh and me to be the best we could be. She wanted us to play hard, not give up, fight, and leave it all on the field. This mentality translated to most things we did growing up. She taught us what hard work looked like.

Even as I got to high school she still came to every game of mine (basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, and cross country meets) and for the out of town games, she would follow the school bus across the state! She spent so much time and money on us. She even invested in pitching lessons for me with the best fastpitch coach who was an hour away and made me practice every day pitching buckets and buckets of balls until my dad’s shins couldn’t handle it anymore.

Again she wanted us to be the best we could be and gave us the opportunities to succeed.

Josh:

My mother and I shared a love for books, movies, writing and TV shows spanning at least 7 decades. She taught me manners, humility, perseverance, and kindness. She prepared me in every way to succeed in life as a student, in my career, and as a father. Over the years I had the opportunity and the good luck to return home to live with her and my dad for a few months or a couple of years at a time while working and establishing myself and she then filled the role of best friend along with mother. We watched endless hours of TV, went to the movies multiple times per week or just discussed life over a good meal at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant.

Over the past 4 years I made the time to drop in and talk for a few minutes each evening while picking up Hadley from her house where she watched her after school. We would talk politics or about work or anything else but all of the hugs and I love yous as I was leaving are what I hold on so tightly to now.

Before Josh and Me:

Estelle moved to Nacogdoches after being chosen to participate in a mid-management training program at Stephen F. Austin State University where she was to study Title IX and human relations.

My dad remembers when she first moved into the apartment complex that he was living in she walked past in her mini skirt and he said to the college guys he was with “Who is that?”

Not long after that she approached my shy dad in a night club and started talking to him and that was it. They quickly left the apartment complex and moved together to their first house with a giant yard and steep hill amongst the pine trees.

Before Josh and I were born they traveled all over the US stopping to take pictures and see museums, parks, gardens, and monuments. Mama loved to see new things.

FINAL WORDS

Randy:

Estelle was a great wife, mother, grandmother and teacher. I was her work in progress, that was never completed, after 40 years. Even when I was helping manage billion dollar budgets at work, I never quite learned how to load a dishwasher properly. She supported me throughout my career, including a move to Mexico, where we lived for two years. She loved living in Mexico and the people in Mexico. She was a great mother that supported and loved her children unconditionally. I will miss her dearly but I know she will watching over me and continuing to work on her unfinished project.

Audra:

Mama lived a wonderful life. Her family meant everything to her. She was born to be a mother, and loved every minute of raising us. Even with a full time job as a teacher she still made time for everyone and took care of the house cleaning and cooking, even staying up really late at night to make cookies for us, finish our school projects, make our Halloween costumes, or get the car packed for our next trip. We took many road trips and traveled everywhere together. She never wanted to leave Josh and me at home (we like to think we were well behaved!) Holidays and birthdays were our favorite because she would go all out for each occasion.

Though towards the end of her life she was dealt a difficult hand with liver disease and diabetes, she didn’t let it stop her from doing what she loved. She kept positive and kept fighting. After retiring she still volunteered at the Food Pantry and church and took care of the house.

Josh:

The last five years she spent most of her time with her granddaughter Hadley coloring, teaching her, baking, or having tea parties together. Haddie was her purpose and her light. She kept her going and even in her final days she still made her smile. Haddie inherited many things from her “Lita” including a discerning palate, a quirky sense of humor and a vibrant imagination. My dad would often listen from upstairs as Hadley and Estelle “bickered like two old women” which was almost certainly because they were so much alike. Hadley is a lover of accumulating vast amounts of simple objects just because they bring her happiness, so much like Estelle. As a father, I plan to make it my duty that Haddie remembers her beloved Lita for the rest of her life.

Audra:

Mama was my hero. My beautiful, strong mama. She taught me how to love, how to give, how to read, how to be a good listener, and how to let my creativity shine. She taught me how to laugh, how to not take things too seriously, and how to have fun in any situation. She was always so proud of me no matter what I did and believed in me more than I ever believed in myself. She told me I could do anything I wanted, and encouraged and supported me and my dreams (no matter how crazy they seemed.) She was the most selfless person I have ever known. Her love was unconditional. She took care of me when I was sick, wiped my tears when I cried even as an adult, sacrificed so much of her time for me, and held me when I experienced heartbreak. She was pure and perfectly created. I will always be proud to be her daughter. I will deeply miss my “mamma”, best friend, counselor, my number one fan, my cheerleader, and shopping buddy.

Josh:

If my dad is my mind then my mama is my heart. There was never anything she wouldn’t do for me or support me in. I cried on her shoulder, worried her constantly but she forever remained as solid as a rock. She taught me that a wild imagination can be made a beautiful thing, that if my dreams can be visualized then they can be realized and that going to church every Sunday can do wonders for your soul. She taught me how to raise a family, support a spouse and take care of an aging parent. I love her beyond words and will forever miss her even as she lives on in my heart, my mind and in my beautiful daughter who carries her unmistakable imprint.

Daddy:

Estelle had an uncanny ability to bring me down a notch when I took things too seriously. I finally learned that it really did not matter that much if we were a little late getting somewhere. I always said she would be late to her own funeral; guess we will see. She remained positive when I was negative, believed in people when I was skeptical and always saw the good in people when I tended to be critical. These are skills that I intend to continue to work on.

Estelle is survived by her husband Randy, daughter Audra, son Josh, granddaughter Hadley, son-in-law David, daughter-in-law Tammi, brother Desi, sister-in-law Jennifer, niece Lisa, and dog Lily.

As a bilingual elementary teacher for 40 years Estelle held a special place in her heart for children who weren’t fortunate enough to have access to books at home. She generously gave her attention and time to provide a solid education using books which greatly impacted many lives. She loved books not only as a way to teach but also as a way to share the magic of stories, fantasy, and life’s beautiful lessons.

Instead of flowers we would love for donations to be made in her honor/memory to First Book

https://support.firstbook.org/give/121944/&_ga=2.43930726.2114568767.1591845337-207289056.1591551658#!/donation/checkout?utm_source=nav&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=maindonate

Randy's email to acknowledge donations to First Book is [email protected]