Del Stanford
December 21, 1928 — June 30, 2013
Carol W. Stanford, mother of nine (and surrogate mother of many of her kids friends), passed away on Sunday, June 30, 2013 at the age of 84. She had a determined spirit and spontaneous zest for life. Those who knew her, as well as those who only met her in passing, were touched by her curiosity, humor, and generosity. Carol was born on December 21, 1928 in Kingsville, TX, where she attended Henrietta King High School and Texas A&M College. She studied elementary education, which prepared her in assisting teachers at Malta Avenue Elementary School and in raising her children. She spent a year in Japan, 25 years in numerous cities in upstate NY, then returned to Texas where she settled in San Antonio. Carol, a strong believer and follower of Jesus Christ, attended Shoresh David, a messianic congregation in San Antonio. She never missed an opportunity to share her faith, and led many to a relationship with Christ. She especially loved music that she felt communicated Gods Spirit! She would play songs over and over, her eyes filling with tears at the beauty of the message. She believed wholeheartedly in the power of prayer, and loved to pray for and with others. She was also an avid reader of spiritual matters and loved to offer copies of her favorite books to others, wanting them to be blessed as she had been. She continued to study and to learn and to seek a closer relationship with God, right up to her last days. Carol was an outstanding cook; she made the best chicken and dumplings ever, and was famous for her incredible dinner rolls. Carol took pride in her yard, which she kept landscaped to perfection and volunteered for years with the Schertz Humane Society, fostering more than 25 homeless dogs who went on to be adopted. She is preceded in death by her beloved son David Stanford, her parents Houston and Clare Wood, and her brothers and sisters Charmian, Houston Jr., Channing, Lillian Ruth, Connie, and Thurlough. Carol is survived by daughter Laura Stanford, Susan and husband Peter Szymanski, grandson Bill Melander and wife Angie, great grandchildren Selah and Christian Brown, Leyna Risinger, daughter Carol Stanford, son Michael Stanford, grandson Michael Gene Kenney, son Gary and wife Margarite Stanford, grandchildren Garrett and Megan, son Brian Stanford, grandsons RJ and Brian Jr., granddaughters Breann and Mariah, daughter Maria Stanford, son Jeffrey Stanford, sister Thelmarie Browne, and brother Michael Wood, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, July 6th at 11:15 a.m. at Shoresh David Messianic Congregation, 201 Harriman Place, San Antonio, TX 78204. Rabbi Stuart Fabricant officiating.
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