Debbie Ladd Stefka
1956-2018

Debra Jean Ladd Stefka departed this earth to be with her Lord and Savior on October 17, 2018. She was 62 years old and was born in Lufkin, Texas on August 23, 1956. Debbie, also known by friends and family as Mom, Grammy, “Stister,” Debbie Doll, and Deb, graduated in 1974 from Deer Park High School. She was an avid Deer Park Deer fan and was in the Deer Escorts and was a cheerleader. She graduated from High School with honors. In 1974 she was crowned Miss Deer Park, representing the City of Deer Park in the Miss America System. After high school, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UTMB in Galveston. After completing her education, she shared her nursing skills with family, friends, and anyone else that needed her knowledge. Her career took her to work as a clinical nurse for the Curtis J. Torno Clinic, the Astrodome nursing station, Lomax Junior High, and Deer Park High School North Campus. She then trained to become a Labor and Delivery nurse and took on several roles at various hospitals in the Houston area including the position of Director of Labor and Delivery at East Houston and Cleveland. Debbie then transitioned to contract nursing so that she could spend more time with her family. She retired after 33 years of dedicated service in the nursing field.

Debbie moved to Deer Park in 1960 with her parents where she grew up, attended Deer Park Schools, studied at SFA and worked at the local bank where she met and married her husband Ben Roy. They stayed in Deer Park and raised their family near family and friends. Debbie was incredibly talented in many areas. Not only could she sing, play the piano, play bells in the First Baptist Church of Deer Park bell choir, tat, sew, crochet, cross stitch, bedazzle, scrapbook, and almost anything else you could name. She also baked and decorated yummy cupcakes and cakes and decorated them so wonderfully they made you fat just looking at them. Every craft she did, was almost to perfection. Debbie’s passion was traveling the globe to tropical destinations where she loved to fish and scuba dive with Ben, her sister Sheri, and their friends. Some would argue that her passion was slot machines, but her true love was being in the deep blue water. She loved to laugh and lit up a room with her laughter and cheer. She also loved giving. She handcrafted untold gifts for everyone that she knew and gave so much of herself to others at every opportunity. The only thing she loved more than life itself was her family.

Debbie was preceded in death by her father Loy Gene Ladd. She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Ben Roy Stefka II, her mother Velda J. Ladd, sister Sheri Ladd Vaughn and husband Tim, brother Gary Loy Ladd and wife Brenda, her sons Bryce Ryan Stefka, Beau Ross Stefka and his wife Monica, her beloved grandson Beau Ross Stefka II, many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and the numerous children she adopted as her own who called her Miss Debbie.

The family extends their gratitude to everyone for their expressions of love, support, and prayer.

Visitation will be held at Rosewood Funeral Home, 3939 Pasadena Blvd. Pasadena, TX 77503 Friday, October 26, 2018. The family will gather together from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and the public is invited to visit from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

A memorial service and celebration of Debbie’s life will be held at Deer Park First Baptist Church at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 27, 2018.