Sherry “Stormye” Loiselle, long-time Bastrop Independent School District teacher and Cedar Creek resident, unexpectedly fell ill while visiting with family. She was called to be with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, April 13th, 2024 in Pasco, Washington. She was 84. A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 18th, 2024 at 10:30 AM at the Heart of Texas Church of Christ, 652 TX-304, Bastrop, TX.
Stormye was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1940 to Edward “Reno” and Josephine Atkinson, Stormye was the fourth of six children. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to a farm outside of Yellville, Arkansas where Stormye spent her formative years running around the farm, swimming in Crooked Creek, getting involved in several community activities and working in Reno's Cafe, the family restaurant in Flippin, Arkansas.
Stormye began high school at Flippin High School, where she attended two years and was a cheerleader and played basketball before the family moved to Grandview, Washington in 1956. She graduated from Grandview High School in 1958 and went on to attend Central Washington State College of Education (now Central Washington University) in Ellensburg, Washington where she earned her baccalaureate degree. While attending high school in Grandview, Stormye worked at the local Dairy Queen. The family went on to open the 10-4 Cafe in Grandview, where Stormye worked as a waitress when home from college. When she was not working or in class, she liked to go dancing with her sister Sally and their friend Ardis.
The lessons learned growing up in rural Arkansas without electricity and then working her way through college were not lost on Stormye, and she knew and truly appreciated the value a quality education could add to a person's life. After graduating from college she embarked on her teaching career of over 50 years. One of her early teaching jobs was at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska where she met the love of her life, a young airman named Harold Loiselle. The two were married in 1966 and their journey together took them from Alaska to New York, where they welcomed their first son Paul into the world. After a short stint as a civilian, Harold rejoined the military, this time joining the United States Navy. After his initial training, Navy life took Stormye and Harold back to Alaska before they were transferred to the Oxnard, California area where Stormye taught for several years. Shortly before leaving California and moving to Massachusetts, Stormye gave birth to her second son James. While in Massachusetts, Stormye was a stay-at-home mother while Harold finished college. Upon graduation, the family packed up and moved again, this time to Texas. Arriving in Smithville in 1981 and moving to Austin a year later, the family eventually settled in Bastrop in 1984. Shortly after settling in Bastrop, Stormye became a member of the Bastrop Church of Christ and attended for many years before becoming a member of the Heart of Texas Church of Christ, where she was a member until her passing.
Stormye started her first teaching job in Texas with the Smithville Independent School District in 1983 and she taught there until 1986, when she began teaching at Bastrop Middle School. She taught 6th Grade Language Arts at BMS until the 6th grade was moved to Bastrop Intermediate School. Stormye continued to teach 6th grade at BIS until her retirement.
Stormye’s proudest moment as a teaching professional came in 1992 when she was selected as the Bastrop ISD Teacher of the Year for the 1991-1992 school year. She went on to win Region XIII Teacher of the Year and was one of three finalists for 1991-1992 Texas State Teacher of the Year. She was also proud of earning her Master of Education in Teacher Leadership from Lamar University in 2010 at the age of 70.
Stormye loved many things in life. She loved to read, write, travel, dance, embark on new adventures, and above all, she loved spending time with her family. She cherished her friends and her friendships, and always strove to treat others with respect and dignity. She enjoyed teaching, interacting with her students and their parents, mentoring new teachers, and she endeavored to impart her students with a lifelong love of learning, as well as to use education to make her community a better place for all.
She is survived by her sisters Sandra Payne of Pyatt, Arkansas, Sally Edwards of Grandview Washington, Adelia Goedhart of Sunnyside, Washington, brother Dwight Atkinson and wife Paula, of Mesa, Arizona, sons Paul and James, grandchildren Thomas, McKenzie, Ann, and Lillian, as well as several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father Reno Atkinson, her mother Josephine Atkinson, her sister Shirley Powell, and her husband of 55 years Harold Loiselle.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to a local hospice or your favorite local charity.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.0