Stella Irene Gorman

1937 - 2021

Stella Irene Park Gorman was born on August 8, 1937 and passed into God's loving arms on April 26, 2021 in Independence, MO.
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Stella was the second youngest of 12 children born to William Franklin Park and Allie Ioma (Hix) Park of Climax Springs MO. Her siblings surrounded her, "we packed her in" as her parents did, to bring her through the first 5 years of her life and the early health challenges she faced. Growing up on the family farm meant chores with the family's cattle, hogs and chickens, the growing of tomatoes and the rendering of lard which her parents sold at local markets. Her dad expanded his cattle herd by transporting calves in one of his several, immaculately maintained, trucks. As the children grew, left home, and married, there were frequent family dinners prepared by Allie for upwards of 40. "We always tried to hold onto one another, Mother would prepare big meals, Daddy was on the porch waiting for us to drive up, all of us stayed close together" her sister Dorothy recalls.

In the early 1950's Stella moved to Kansas City with her sister Willetta and her friend Joanne and was hired on the spot at Montgomery Ward's because of her 60 w.p.m. typing skills. She met Bill Gorman when his motorcycle buddy, D. Hamilton, suggested they go take the girls a few blocks over, Joanne and Stella, for a motorcycle ride. Bill and Stella courted for 2 years before marrying in their Pastor's Raytown home on June 2, 1955. Bill tells a story of being a newlywed husband, early on, concerned that she did not take financial matters seriously enough. Instead, he learned, she took things in stride, always looking to make a problem easier to resolve and a difficult circumstance easier to manage.

Bill was called into U.S Army service, moving around to various training assignments before settling in Elizabethtown Kentucky, where Stella joined him and their first son, Bill Jr., was born in 1958. Their first home together was a renovated two car garage. Two more boys joined their family, Steven in 1962 and Daniel in 1965.

As their 3 boys grew, Stella and Bill kept them in church and church programs, attended their baseball games and their school programs, taught the boys to fish along the Little Niangua River, and kept a watchful eye and ear on how they could help their own brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews when financial or health challenges arrived. Stella would say she baked enough chocolate chip cookies over the years to cover the roof of the house; her chocolate pies and cinnamon rolls were in demand at family dinners and reunions.

Steven grew up to be a teacher and an accomplished artist, married to Kim (Head) and the father of two boys; Daniel, married to Kim (Wolf), his high school sweetheart, grew up to be a wood worker, a musician and a life-long learner of languages and European cultures. Bill Jr., their oldest, moved around the country within the building industry with his family before returning to Kansas City to raise their children nearer to their grandparents and large extended family.

Stella and Bill are blessed with 5 grandchildren and their spouses and partners: Kelly (Michael), Samantha (Chris), Kenneth (Hannah), Joshua (Desirae), Caleb (Kirsten) and 4 great grandchildren, Maci, Matthew, Preston and Carter.

In September 2016 Stella suffered a stroke and worked hard to recover her ability to walk, write and speak. In February 2020 she moved to the Villages at Jackson Creek to be cared for by a team of angels, led by Candyss Camarda, whom the family credits with loving care of Stella through the pandemic and until the end of her days on earth.

Stella is survived by her husband of 65 years, Bill Sr., her sons Bill Jr. and Steven, and her sisters Dorothy and Charlene and literally dozens of nieces and nephews.

Her son Daniel, daughter-in-law Kim, parents William and Allie, and brothers and sisters Arnold, Raymond, Pauline, John, Jurlene, William, Willetta, Bob and Anabelle predeceased her.

Funeral services for Stella will be held at the Reser Funeral Home in Warsaw, Missouri, at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 30, 2021. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Climax Springs Cemetery.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Arrangements: Reser Funeral Home 660-438-5151