Arland Lea Stemme (nee Resch)

Born May 4, 1932, and passed to the hands of our Lord on Monday, February 19, 2024. Beloved wife of the late Wesley Stemme; dear mother and mother-in-law of Warren Stemme, Alane (Darrell) Gronefeld and the late Jay Stemme; loving grandmother of Ryan (Maggie Robertson) Stemme, Kyle Stemme, Christina Gronefeld and Jonathan Gronefeld; dear sister of the late Ruby Kessler and Roland Resch; our dear sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and friend.

She was born to Leo and Dena (Schnarre) Resch in Weldon Spring, MO during the Depression, and grew up in a very challenging environment after her father died when she was one year old, leaving her mother with three children under the age of six. But she learned how to make the best out of life, no matter what was put in front of her. She graduated from Francis Howell High School in 1950.

In January 1967, a tornado struck her and Wesley's home, destroying it. Home by herself that evening, and three months pregnant with daughter Alane, she pulled her two sons Warren (age 5), and Jay (age 2) to safety. She was tough!

Arland devoted her life to faith in God, family and community! She was the silent driving force behind their growing family and farm operation, doing all the bookwork, cooking for her family and farm workers, and whatever else needed to be done! She read scriptures and spiritual passages daily, and often wrote herself notes to guide her daily life. To financially support her family, she also worked as a bookkeeper at MKT Railroad, a car dealership in Clayton, MO, Parkway School District, and Good Shepherd School for Children.

In addition to her bookkeeping jobs and as a farmwife and mother, she was constantly volunteering. She served as a Sunday School teacher at St. John's UCC-Chesterfield, and a 4-H project teacher and leader. After the Hurricane Andrew disaster in FL in 1992, she travelled to Homestead, FL and helped provide disaster childcare relief. She also served on the Chesterfield, MO Historical Commission for 25 years, collecting pictures, interviewing long-time residents, and meticulously documenting everything. In 2012 she received the Chesterfield Citizen of the Year Award for her efforts with Chesterfield history.

Arland loved traveling. She and Wesley took many domestic and international trips during their married life together. They traveled to places like Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Costa Rico, Curacao, Panama Canal, Virgin Islands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria.

Arland loved growing flowers. She was also an excellent cook and seamstress. She made "The Best" strawberry preserves! She made quilts, dresses and other items for her children and grandchildren.

In short, Arland lived her life to the fullest every day. She was a person that knew how to get things done. More importantly, she set an example for all of us to live by!

Funeral at St. John's United Church of Christ, 15370 Olive Blvd. in Chesterfield on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Visitation 9:00 am - 10:45 am with Service at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics, Missouri 4-H Foundation or St. John's United Church of Christ (Stained Glass on Memo Line).

Ortmann Stipanovich Funeral Home           www.osfuneralhomes.com