of Little Rock, AR

March 22, 1927 - March 15, 2021

Faye Gertrude ''Trudy'' Stapleton, 93, of Little Rock, was welcomed into her Savior's arms on Monday morning, March 15, 2021 from her bed at home with her devoted son by her side. She is preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, the Rev. James Stapleton, her eldest son James Dale Stapleton, and her great-granddaughter Lindsay Schooling. She is survived by her only living brother, Douglas (Bonnie) Finch of Weatherford, Texas; her younger son, Jackie Whayne Stapleton of Little Rock; two ''adopted'' sons, Bob Russell and Mike Holliday, both of Little Rock; and her daughter-in-law Linda (Marion) Mosley of Hurst, Texas. Twenty people between the ages of one and 51 had the privilege of calling her ''Grandmother''. There are five grandchildren: Amy Tutka of Frisco, Texas; Kathy (Alan) Cox of Fort Worth, Texas; James Stapleton of Boyd, Texas; Jamie (Tony) DiFlorio of El Paso, Arkansas; and DeAndra Stapleton of Cabot, Arkansas; plus twelve great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Make no mistake, Mrs. Stapleton knew every one of their names and birthdays and prayed for each one faithfully every night.

Mrs. Stapleton was born in Chico, Texas on March 22, 1927 to Clarence and Amy Finch. She was the only girl in the family with four older brothers and two younger. The Finches were a farming family who worked the cotton fields together before machines were invented to pick and pull the cotton. Trudy often told how once when she was a little girl, her daddy had promised her any baby doll that she wanted if she could pull 100 pounds of cotton in one day. Her daddy didn't think she could do it, but at the end of the day, she had pulled 101 pounds! Her daddy bought her that baby doll, and it sits on her bed even today.

After high school, Trudy attended Bible Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas where she met her husband, James. Over the next 24 years, they served together as pastor and pastor's wife in nine churches in California, Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas. In 1972, the Stapletons moved to Arkansas and joined Heritage Baptist Temple in Little Rock where Trudy was a devoted member for nearly fifty years. There, Trudy served faithfully for many years as the secretary for the church's Christian school and as the church's bookkeeper. Even until just a few weeks before her homegoing, Trudy was still helping with the bookkeeping and managing the missionary funds at the age of 93! Mrs. Stapleton loved her church with all of her time, talent, and treasure. Only in Eternity will we know the full extent of her impact on the church and its dear people during her half-century of membership.

Trudy was the consummate attentive mother. Since her boys were ten years apart, they each had a unique relationship with her. James Dale was an only child for all of his early childhood, and Trudy was his doting mother. She loved to tell how once when James Dale was a child, she picked him up from his new Sunday School class and learned that he had introduced himself as Roy Rogers Finch. Later, when James Dale was married and began to have a family of his own, he and his wife Linda leaned on his mother for her grandmotherly support in raising a set of twins and a young son. One thing James Dale and Whayne shared was a love of teasing their mother relentlessly.

To Whayne, Trudy was simply ''Mama''. Other than his two daughters, Trudy was the only and most precious woman in his life. They shared a truly special mother-and-son bond; one could hardly get along without the other. Since Mr. Stapleton's passing in 2012, Trudy and Whayne lived together. Whayne faithfully and tenderly took care of his Mama right up to the moment of her last breath. In her final days, Whayne's only concern was for his Mama's care and comfort, and Trudy's only concern was for her beloved son. It seemed she refused to depart this life until he lovingly spoke his permission by her bedside.

Trudy's grandchildren remember the many summer vacations and weekends spent with Grandmother and Grandpa. They remember how Grandmother always made her homemade biscuits for them at breakfast and how she always referred to herself in the third person when expressing her affection for them - ''Grandmother loves you very much'' or ''Come see Grandmother and let her fix it''. They remember her distinctive singing voice in church, the scent of her White Diamonds perfume, her perfect cursive handwriting on birthday cards and in the front leaf of every Bible she ever gave them, and the comfort of knowing without one shred of doubt that Grandmother was always praying for them even if no one else was.

Mrs. Stapleton was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, and a faithful Christian woman. Living by her favorite Bible verses, she never worried, was never afraid or depressed, and never ceased to trust in her God for her every concern and need. She has left behind a profound legacy that her family will cherish until their glad reunion day. Finally, and most importantly, Mrs. Stapleton would want everyone reading this to know that Jesus loves you; yes, just the way you are. There's nothing you can do to make Him love you more, and nothing you can do to make Him love you less. He died to pay the penalty for your every sin, past, present, and future. And He wants to walk with you through every joy and trial in your life if you will only receive Him. If you are searching for the truth about Jesus and would like to know more, Mrs. Stapleton would want you to contact her pastor at Heritage Baptist Temple, Pastor Guy Kelly, who will be thrilled to share with you the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

''Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.'' Proverbs 3:5-6

The family will receive guests on Sunday, March 28th at 2:00pm at Heritage Baptist Temple. The funeral service will follow at 3:00pm at the church with Pastor Guy Kelly officiating. The family will attend a private interment on Monday, March 29th at the North Little Rock Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Stapleton has requested that donations be made in her memory to Heritage Baptist Temple for missionary support. Checks may be made payable to Heritage Baptist Temple. Please indicate ''missionaries - Faye Stapleton'' on the memo line. Donations may be mailed to: Heritage Baptist Temple 4910 Stagecoach Road Little Rock, AR 72204

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