Don Arlie Stubblefield was born to Miller Stubblefield and Grace Baker Stubblefield on September 9, 1938. He died Sunday, October 10, 2021. He was a Child of God and a dedicated student and disciple of the teachings of Jesus Christ. He was 83 years old.
His parents were both descendants of pioneer families of Williamson County and he was a sixth-generation Texan. The night they were married in 1937, they got in an automobile to drive from Liberty Hill to the West Texas town of Fort Stockton. Not long after, in September of 1938, their first born, Don, was born. His sister, Cynthia Beth “Betty” was born a year and three months later. Their baby brother, Billy Ray, did not arrive until nine years later. Life in Fort Stockton was full of close friends comprised of the remarkably good people who made up the town’s population.
Don was a good student and a crack shot with a pellet gun (he inherited excellent marksmanship from his father). While strong-willed, he generally avoided trouble, chose mostly good companions, and maintained excellent grades. The first passion of his life was sports. Baseball was his favorite pass time. He was a dedicated Brooklyn Dodgers (as they were then called) fan. He knew baseball statistics in great detail, using his amazing recall for facts and figures. In the field, he became a great asset at second base and shortstop, playing for various amateur teams.
In 1956, however, he experienced the traumatic loss of his father to to an extended bout with lung cancer. His mother Grace, a very devoted wife and homemaker was left at the age of 45 with three children to raise and no wage-earner in the home. She wisely decided to return to Williamson County, where her extended family was close. Don attended his senior year at Georgetown High School. Due to his recent transfer into the school district, he was not deemed eligible to be the valedictorian of his class, though his grade average was sufficient.
After graduation, college was beyond reach financially, so he entered the workforce. Working at a number of jobs he also attended Durham’s Business School where he discovered a talent for accountancy. He eventually went to work for the State Comptroller in the newly-created Sales Tax Division. He served there twenty years.
During this time his interest in baseball waned and bowling became his primary game. His determination and drive led him to extensive successful league play and a closet full of trophies.
The second passion in his life developed in the ‘70s. Politics. Enough said about that.
The most significant event in his life occurred in the late 1970s. Alone in his home above Lake Travis one evening, Don was visited by the Holy Spirit.
Faith was the third and final passion in his life. For more that ten years he sought to know more about the Gospel and to find a church home. His talent for recall of facts and detail again served him well. His search culminated in approximately 1990 when he became acquainted with a like-minded Christian, and became a member of a close and true church family, Burnet Bible Church. Then began the happiest years of his life. The pastor of the church, Stephen Hopkins, writes:
“In the 1980’s Don came under conviction from various passages of Scripture that he needed to attend to the plight of the unborn. He is known by many as the man who stood for 17 years every Saturday morning in all weather for hours praying and offering counsel to unwed mothers in Austin. He has been gratefully thanked by many young mothers over the years for his presence, and has been blessed to hold their children in his arms, treasuring the fruit of his labors.
“In the 1990’s Don began to study reformed theology especially favoring the works of internationally known pastor and theologian, Dr. R.C. Sproul. Don listened to Dr. Sproul's sermons at length as he lay in his last illness.
“Don held tenaciously to the “doctrines of grace”, “the five Solas”, and the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
“He was also a passionate supporter of the nation of Israel.
“In 2004 Don was ordained an elder of Burnet Bible Church in Burnet, Texas, where he served that flock faithfully until the day of his death."
He leaves behind a flock of grieving church members, his younger sister Cynthia Beth “Betty” Lebo of Hondo and Betty’s daughter Angela of Leander, and his younger brother, Billy Ray Stubblefield of Georgetown. A large extended family is spread across Texas and the rest of the Country.
Don’s last audible words were
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
A graveside church service will be conducted at Liberty Hill Cemetery, 16101 TX-29, Liberty Hill, TX 78642, on Friday the 15th of October at 2 p.m. A memorial is planned for early next year when it is hoped the pandemic will allow a gathering of the church and Don’s extended family to celebrate his life.
The graveside service will be live streamed at: https://facebook.com/events/s/graveside-service-don-stubblef/238741678231253/
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldendavisfuneralhome.com for the Stubblefield family.
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