FAYE OPHELIA (RAABE) STECH
May 12, 1929 — November 28, 2023
Faye Ophelia (Raabe) Stech, of Weimar, Texas, died on November 28, 2023, at 94. Faye was born to William and Louise (Tipp) Raabe in Weimar on May 12, 1929. She married her high school sweetheart, Gilbert Stech, at the Weimar Evangelical Lutheran Church on March 26, 1951. On that muddy day, Gilbert carried Faye across a wet ditch in front of the church, setting the stage for a lifelong romance. They raised children, worked, played, and traveled together for the next 65 years. Faye was a woman of extraordinary talents. Her artistry as a baker resulted in supremely delicious apple, dewberry, and pecan pies, pastries, bread, fudge, and cookies. She cooked from scratch, often without referral to any recipe. Her garden was a lush painter’s palette of four-o-clocks and roses, and she was a pro- lific seamstress, crafting dresses, costumes, dolls' clothes, and quilts. Faye was an expert at refurbishing antiques of all kinds and she had a discriminating eye for beautiful glassware and dishes.
Faye sparkled in the presence of babies and toddlers. She never turned down a request to babysit a grandchild and was never too busy to play. Young children were the special recipients of her sweet adoration; every child’s life that she touched was enriched beyond measure.
Faye was preceded in death by her husband, Gilbert; her parents, William and Louise Raabe; brothers Edwin, Bill, Howard, Bennie, David, Paul, and Eugene; sisters Leona Beck and Aline Caraway; son-in-law Johnny Berglund; and great-grandchild Cole Woodward.
She is survived by her sister, Esther Harrison and husband Jimmy; sisters-in-law, Diane Winters, Margaret Raabe, and Molly Raabe; children, Linda Youens and husband Bobby, Janet Berglund, Clyde Stech and wife Lisa Rae, and Judy Woodward and husband Mike. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service for Faye’s family and friends will take place at Trinity Church in New Bielau. Details will be announced on a future date. Faye will be buried beside Gilbert at the Weimar Masonic Cemetery.