Virginia G Stubbs

Virginia “Jena” Stubbs passed away on July 15, 2024. She was born March 4, 1939, in Abilene, Texas to Ellis Lee Ganey and Madge Esther (Morrison) Ganey. Jena’s given name at birth was Lilly Virginia Ganey. Her father chose the nickname “Jena” when she was very young, as an homage to his childhood home in Jena, Louisiana.

After graduating from Abilene High School, Jena attended Southern Methodist University where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta social sorority. Jena transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in History. She married Paul Edward Stubbs, also from Abilene, on December 21, 1961. The couple moved to Detroit, Michigan where Paul attended graduate school at Wayne State University, College of Medicine. Following receipt of Paul’s Master’s Degree, the couple moved to Philadelphia, where their first child, David, was born. They longed to return to Texas, and in 1964 Paul accepted a teaching position at McMurry University in Abilene. After two years in Abilene, Paul was accepted to Baylor College of Dentistry, and the family moved to Dallas where their second child, Leah, was born. During this time in Dallas, Jena worked as an Elementary School teacher, teaching the first grade. In 1970, the family moved to Austin, where Paul opened his dental practice and the third child, Emily, was born.

When her children were young, Jena returned to the University of Texas where she earned a Masters Degree in Special Education. In the 1970s she was on the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Austin Independent School District; acted as chairperson of the Texas Committee of Organizations for the Handicapped; and served as President of the Texas Association for Children with Learning Disabilities (TACLD). In the 1980s, she was involved with The Settlement Home of Austin, she chaired the city-wide Settlement Home Garage and Estate Sale for multiple years. During the early 1990s, she worked with Court Appointed Special Advocates (C.A.S.A.) in Travis & Williamson Counties. In addition to her volunteer work, Jena opened, owned, and operated the David Love Store in Georgetown from 1994 to 2005. During that time, Jena was a vital force in the Georgetown Heritage Society and the Downtown Georgetown Association. She was an active member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood and the Alumnae Advisory Board for the University of Texas Kappa Alpha Thetas. Always involved in Westminster Presbyterian Church, she served as an Elder, spearheaded the church’s first “Merry Market” annual fundraising event for charitable organizations, revitalized the Children’s Library, and volunteered as the church’s archivist.

Jena Stubbs is survived by her husband of 62 years, Paul; her children David (Karen Pelzel) of Rockdale; Leah of Lake Travis; Emily Stubbs (Dale) Mika of Austin; her grandchildren: Sharon (Stubbs) Lowery of Caldwell; Shanna Stubbs of the Rio Grande Valley; Lucian Mika and Abigail Mika of Austin; and her great grandchildren: Christopher and Addisyn. Jena was preceded in death by her parents, and two half-siblings of Louisiana: E.L. Ganey Jr. (1958), and Mrs. Juanita Humphries (2001).

Visitation with the family will be held on Wednesday, July 24th from 6pm to 8pm at Weed, Corley, Fish, 5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin, Texas 78731.

The Memorial Service will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3208 Exposition Blvd, Austin, Texas 78703 on Saturday, July 27th at 2pm. The Memorial Service may also be viewed/streamed live https://wpcaustin.org/livestream

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church, https://onrealm.org/wpcaustin/-/form/give/now, The Austin Settlement Home for Children, https://www.settlementhome.org/donate/, The PEO Texas State Chapter, https://www.peointernational.org/make-a-gift/#donate, or the charity of your choice