Marwyn "PaPa" Louie Stutts

He was born in Corsicana on February 19, 1938 to Jesse Stutts and Mary Ellis Stutts. He graduated from Odessa High School in 1957, worked as a pipeliner for fifty-nine years, was a lifelong member of Union 798 of Tulsa and helped build the Alaska Pipeline, also known as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.

He married Dorothy Mae in Tulsa; a chiropractor officiated at the wedding. His persuading her to marry him wasn’t easy. She was raised in the country and was a cowgirl, and kept turning him away. He finally asked her, “If I go out and put cow manure on my boots will you go out with me?” He didn’t have to. His new bride dutifully filled his thermos full of coffee every morning. One morning she caught him pouring the coffee out! She told him she wasn’t going to get up in the mornings with him because she didn’t believe anyone could function without coffee. From that point on he fixed coffee the night before.

He enjoyed the outdoors and took his boys deer hunting for a week. He didn’t shave for the whole time and when he returned home Nanny wouldn’t let him in the back door.

Mr. Stutts was known as PaPa, not only to all his grandchildren and great grandchildren, but to everyone who knew him, and he adored his grands. He patiently taught all “his girls” to drive, and insisted they learn on a stick shift. On a trip to Dallas PaPa was driving his daughter’s car and didn’t understand all the buttons, but started pushing them all anyway. One negative outcome of this was he said his backside was burning up so the heated seats button had to be turned off…and quickly!

On another excursion with the motor home, he was driving down the highway and said, “There’s a pickup like mine!” It WAS his pickup that was being pulled behind the motor home that had become unhooked and was passing him on the highway!

PaPa always flew the American flag, and had the greenest yard on the block. He loved working outside, or piddling as the family says. He almost burned the house down when he somehow caught the couch on fire, and simply said, “I don’t know what happened.”

His favorite time of year was Christmas, because all the kids would come home. He loved playing cards and dominoes, and always knew exactly what everyone had played. He rode bikes with his granddaughters and great granddaughters. Once in Las Vegas he was walking with his daughter and wife and his shoes kept squeaking. They all laughed together and said, “He’s so tight with his money that he squeaks when he walks!” On another trip to Las Vegas he started to pull out a $100 bill and dirt came out of his wallet. Everyone started laughing and said, “It’s been so long since Ben saw daylight that he blinked and turned to dirt!” PaPa was a bit conservative with his money, and said “Money doesn’t grow on trees.”

He enjoyed dancing and danced with his granddaughters every chance he could find. He taught Kira to waltz and they twirled around the living room to his delight. He even made mud pies with his girls, and sometimes lay on the driveway just watching them make their messy concoctions.

PaPa ate salsa on everything. He would get salsa that was too hot for his taste and say, “That’s too hot” but kept right on eating it anyway. He loved buffets and crab legs, and enjoyed going to McDonald’s in the mornings for sausage McMuffin and Coke and would drive around town at thirty-five miles an hour.

He once drove the motor home into the lake in San Angelo!

He sang “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden” to Nanny, and yet he always grew the most beautiful roses.

The first time Kira and Elissa were put in his arms he said, “What am I supposed to do with this?” He would say “Don’t cry or I’ll give you something to cry about.” He would always ask the kids if they wanted a whuppin’ or a lecture. They chose a whuppin’ but usually got both.

He enjoyed traveling with the family, and once on a vacation trip Mom, Dad and Elissa went in a haunted house with an escape room. He and Elissa got scared and lost and couldn’t find their way out. PaPa ran into a wall and broke his glasses. He loved taking the kids to Six Flags and the river.

PaPa lived a happy life and treasured his family. He stayed active even with the limitations of Alzheimer’s and dementia. He climbed up into trees to trim tree limbs after he turned 87! He was cherished by his family who lovingly cared for him. They understood the silly things he sometimes said and did because his thought processes had changed. They saw but they did not judge.

PaPa was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Dorothy Mae, daughter Dora Stutts, granddaughters Kelli Waggoner, Deanna McCarty and Robert McCarty, and great granddaughters Riley Strickland and Ilianna Strickland.

Those remaining to cherish his memory are daughter Michelle Strickland, and sons Royce Stutts, Cory Stutts and Ronnie Reid; grandchildren Ashley Boen, Matthew Gardner, Amber Gardner, and Kira Strickland; great grandchildren Elissa Strickland, Jamie Boen, Erin Boen, David Boen, Logan Strickland, Nathan Allison, Ryan Peppentenzza Zoe Barnett and Trenton Barnett; and cousin Betty McCullough.

Visitation is scheduled on Sunday, October 19, 2025 at Hubbard Kelly Funeral Home from 6:00-8:00 PM, with Celebration of Life service will be held on Monday, October 20 at 2:00 PM at Hubbard Kelly Chapel, 601 North Alleghaney Avenue, Odessa. The committal service will follow at 3:00 PM at Sunset Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, 6801 East Odessa, Texas.