Kasey Stansell, loving wife, mother and grandmother has passed away after a brief but courageous fight with pancreatic cancer.   She was born in Michigan but got to Texas as soon as she could.  As a girl, Kasey joined girl scouts and maintained life-long friendships with women from her troop.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University with a major in ­­­­­­Recreation and a minor in Park Administration with plans to be park ranger.  While in Lubbock, Kasey took a job running a Senior Citizen Center which was the beginning of a lifetime of loving on and serving the elderly.  While at the university, she met and married Don Stansell, who continued to be her best friend and husband for 44 wonderful years.

Kasey took great joy in being a stay-at-home mom but still found time to take a staff position with Meals On Wheels when her girls were in school. While her job, for many years, was Volunteer Coordinator, she never missed an opportunity to serve hot meals with sides of hugs, compassion and friendship.  On holidays when meals were not being delivered, Kasey would make sure those that she knew would not be cared for by family would get a meal and a hug.  She involved her entire family to deliver meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Kasey and Don have been faithful and active members at North Fort Worth Baptist Church for 37 years where they served as life group leaders to youth and young adults.  They took great joy pouring into the lives of their life groups. Many nights and weekends were spent in fellowship with them in their home, at camp, retreats, mission trips, on the lake or at the church. In recent years she and Don joined the Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief team where Kasey earned the role of Chaplin. They would deploy with TBM to places flooded or destroyed by natural disasters to assist in rebuilding homes, removing trees and allowing her to share God’s love to help to rebuild lives.

Kasey served all she met with a gracious smile, warm heart and a laugh and so many of you, in recent days have called with offers to help, visit, bring food and so much more.  She wanted everyone to know how grateful she was for this kindness and generosity. Kasey wanted all to know Jesus and she demonstrated His love by investing in and serving everyone she met. While her life was all too brief, it was bright and well lived, or as she would say – “I’ve lived a sparkly life”.

She was preceded in death by her father, Edmund Hotchkiss.

She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Donald Stansell; daughters and sons-in-law, Amber Stites (Tim) and Laine DiStefano (Rich); grandchildren, Colton and Brooke Stites, and Adelyn DiStefano; mother, Barbara Hotchkiss; sisters and brothers-in-law, Kelly Brown (Jeff) and Kirsten Runkle (Ken).