06/22/2026
Curtis Wayne Stephens, 79, of Blooming Grove, Texas, went to be with his Lord on June 19, 2026, at the Clyde W. Cosper Texas State Veterans Home in Bonham, Texas. He was born on October 24, 1946, in Galveston, Texas, to Delbert Wayne Stephens and Margie Jean (Avery) Stephens.
Curtis answered his country's call and served with quiet courage in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He entered the Army in 1964, earned his Airborne wings as a qualified parachutist, and served as a Flight Operations Coordinator, rising to the rank of Sergeant. On January 5, 1968, he was wounded in action in the Republic of Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart.
Curtis met Ida Mae Laughlin in March 1973, beginning a love that would carry them through more than five decades together. In his working years, he lived much of his life on the road — driving trucks for many years, then buses for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) for fourteen years, before retiring and, true to his nature, climbing back behind the wheel of a truck once more.
A man of faith, Curtis was a member of First Baptist Church in Blooming Grove. He believed it was never too late to grow: later in life he returned to school at Navarro College, earning two associate degrees — an Associate of Arts and an Associate of Science — both Magna Cum Laude — and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
But those who knew him best knew where to find him — in the garden. Curtis helped found the Blooming Grove Community Garden and tended it more faithfully than anyone, through every season and every kind of weather. He treasured his family, found quiet joy in his acoustic guitar, and gave his time freely to the people and place he loved.
Curtis was preceded in death by his parents, Delbert Wayne Stephens and Margie Jean Avery; and his brothers, Michael Stephens and Joseph Allan “Joe” Stephens. He is survived by his beloved wife, Ida Stephens of Blooming Grove; his children, Melissa McCutcheon and husband Richard of Long Beach, CA, Curtis Hugh “Beau” Stephens of Stockton, CA, Rebecca “Becky” Stephens of California, and Jeffrey Wayne Stephens and wife Lisa of Dallas; his stepdaughters, Cindie Phipps and husband Robert of Blooming Grove, and Sandy Bryan of Dallas; his sisters, Shirley Graham and Carol Lane; his stepmother, Alliene Stephens; his sister-in-law, Kathy Vess-Jenkins of Dallas; his grandchildren, Benjamin Garfin (Amanda), Timothy Garfin (Isaura), Elizabeth Rodgers (Christopher), Samuel, Jeremiah, and Justin Stephens, Emma Skye Phipps, Steven Lance Phipps, and Amber Palacios (Joseph Gunnels), along with Rebecca's two children; thirteen great-grandchildren; and a host of extended family and friends who loved him dearly.
A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Stacy-Wilkins Funeral Home in Goldthwaite, Texas, with Pastor Frank Escamilla officiating. Graveside committal with military honors will follow at Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to the Blooming Grove Community Garden, which Curtis helped found and loved.
c/o The Bloom Project, P.O. Box 5, Blooming Grove, TX 76626
