Stephanie Wells

Stephanie (Moni) Wells Stephanie (Moni) Wells died November 17, 2010, at her home in Sunset Valley, TX, surrounded by her family, after battling cancer for three years. She was 69 years of age. Moni was born December 26, 1940, in Mexico City, Mexico, to Margarita Viesca Wells and Henry Bartlett Wells. Her father was a diplomat with the United States Department of State. By the time she graduated from high school Moni had lived in Cuba, Finland, Romania, Washington, DC, New Jersey and Mexico. A truly multi-cultural citizen of the world, Moni was fluent in English, Spanish and French and spoke Italian and Portuguese. She and her brothers loved to horrify listeners with tales of jumping from ice floe to ice floe in Helsinki harbor oblivious to their fate should they fall in the freezing water. They also spent many enjoyable hours reminiscing about their days at the family hacienda near Atotonilco El Grande, Mexico, and summers spent at their cabin in Antrim, New Hampshire. As a result of her globe-trotting childhood, Moni valued her home, family and friends above everything else. Moni attended Mt. Vernon Junior College and then transferred to Georgetown University, receiving her BS in Languages in 1963. After college she went to work for the Intl. Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. About a year later she left to accept a position with UNESCO in Paris, France, where she worked on various international educational programs. In order to further her career, she enrolled at The University of Chicago and received a Master of Arts degree in Educational Economics. In 1985, while living in Austin, Moni became involved with the education of dyslexic children and was a founder and the first president of the Austin Area Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. She was also a member of the board of the Rawson Saunders School for Dyslexic Students in Austin. In 1988 she moved with her three children to Lexington, MA, where she raised her family as a single mother. She took great pride in having sent them to Harvard, Purdue and St. Edwards Universities. Her children love telling the story of Moni catching the family's chickens as Hurricane Alicia was approaching. She chased them around the yard with a net, bathrobe flowing behind her, while the storm clouds gathered. To support her family she began a career in real estate as a Realtor, first in Lexington, MA, then in Austin after moving back in 1998. She became an expert in green building and design. In 2007 she started her own company, Moni Wells Properties, which she managed until retiring in 2009 due to her illness. Through mutual friends Elisa and Joe Frisz, Moni met Brad Roberts in 2002 and on July 31, 2004, they were married, under a blue moon, in the back yard of their home in Sunset Valley, TX. They worked together expanding Moni's business and enjoyed traveling, cooking and entertaining family and friends. Moni enjoyed gardening and being outdoors. She loved walking for exercise and pleasure and bragged about having once walked from Lexington to downtown Boston, a distance of about 15 miles. An intuitive and thoroughly eclectic cook, she was famous for her Mexican cuisine and her fruit tarts. Her greatest joy was her children and, particularly, her grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Brad Roberts, Sunset Valley, TX; her daughter Stephanie Andron, Bellaire, TX; her son Jonathan Andron and wife Arlene Silva, Lexington, MA; her son Paul Andron and partner Saesha Carlile, Washington, DC; her stepdaughter Elizabeth Anderson and husband Paalo, San Marcos, TX; her stepson Elliott Roberts and wife Jacynth, San Francisco, CA; her grandchildren Sinjin Kasmiroski , Skyla Kasmiroski , David Francisco Andron Silva and Lucy Jane Anderson. She is also survived by her brothers, Robert Wells and wife Valerie, State College, PA, and Richard Wells and wife Nora, Lexington, MA, as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. No funeral or interment will be held. A gathering in remembrance of Moni's life will be celebrated at a time and place to be determined soon. Contact All Faiths Funeral Home, 512-326-8878, for details. In lieu of flowers the family requests that you make memorial donations to support GIST cancer research at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Please make checks payable to The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and note on the check it is for "GIST Research." Mail to Jonathan Trent, M.D.,Ph.D, Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., FC11.3032, Unit 450 Houston, TX 77030. Moni's family expresses their thanks and gratitude to the entire staff of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and to Richard Helmer, MD, and Laura Wendlandt, RN, of Texas Oncology. They are particularly grateful to Linda, Jessica, Andrea, Charlotte and all the staff of Hospice Austin for their care and kindness and to Paul of Mint Salon and Fevie of Just Nails for their generosity. She was unique.