Mary Ellen Stocks

Mary Ellen Stocks, of Highland Village, TX, passed away on September 16, 2025 at the age of 82.

Mary Ellen was born to William Clyde and Beaulah Viola (Goff) Reed in Davenport, Iowa on October 5, 1942. The family moved to Des Moines where they lived on the south side of town. It was a home filled with love and encouragement. She graduated from Des Moines Technical High School in December, 1960. While a senior at Tech, Mary Ellen met the love of her life, James Robert Stocks, when her brother David brought him home to visit. Jim never actually proposed but one evening they found themselves talking about how many kids they would have. They looked at each other and realized that getting married was the only logical choice. Excited to start their new lives together, the two were married August 5, 1961. They were married for 60 beautiful years.

Mary Ellen and Jim were blessed with two children, Carole Dawn and James Robert, Jr., and nothing was more important to them. Mary Ellen especially treasured their time living in West Union, Iowa where she was a stay-at-home mom. There are so many memories of their time in this small town where this young mom cooked, watched out for the kids, taught them about Jesus, and was even their Scout leader.

Mary Ellen’s most joyous time in life was being a grandparent. She treasured her time with grandkids, never failing to sneak them candy, play the penny game, or tell them stories. Some of the stories were shared so often that the kids could recite them, even though they happened long before they were born. They loved riding the Little Tikes car around the driveway at Grandma’s house, and Mary Ellen saved this car until it could be driven by her great grandchildren so they could create memories too. 

Mary Ellen was an active member of church and a follower of Jesus throughout her life. As an adult she attended Westside Church of Christ and First Church of Christ (Ankeny) while they lived in Des Moines. Many Sundays included lunches with their “Lunch Bunch”, a group of friends who connected through time together at church.  When she moved to Florida, she joined the “Living Stones” group and met new friends at Harborside Christian Church. In Texas, she attended Valley Creek Church.

Everyone who knew Mary Ellen knew how much she loved shopping! She really loved the thrill of the hunt as she shopped for just the right item. When you received a gift, you knew she had put a lot of thought into just the right thing. Mary Ellen is lovingly remembered for her generous nature. We never doubted how much she loved her family and we will miss her. 

Mary Ellen is survived by her children - Carole (Jeff) Endo and Jim Jr. (Kim) Stocks; eight grandchildren - Adam Stocks, Michael Stocks, Matthew Endo, Mark Stocks, Tina (Jhovanny) Fermin, Stephanie (Anthony) Stevens, BreAnna Stocks, and John Stocks; two great-grandchildren, Eden Stevens and Gianna Fermin; and her sister Carol Stocks. Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her husband Jim, her parents Clyde and Beulah Reed, and her brothers David Reed and Darrell Reed.

Private family burial will take place in the spring. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Central Iowa Bible Camp in Earlham, Iowa. This camp has been the source of many fond memories for our family.

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