Obituary: Senstad, Stella Katherine
Age 84
Stella grew up on a Wyoming sheep and cattle ranch, the third of six children of Charley Warren and Elizabeth Dye.
She always boasted she had the perfect childhood.
She adored her parents; her siblings were her best friends.
She loved to take long bareback rides on her beloved horse, Jenny, over the badlands, and go to the sheep camps in the mountains with her dad.
After Stella graduated from high school, she went to work for the telephone company and quickly became known as the operator with a smile in her voice.
Stella was gifted with a beautiful singing voice and was often asked to sing requests on the radio as a young woman.
In later life she shared that same beautiful soprano voice with her husband, children and church.
She met James Senstad, the love of her life, in June 1948 and they were married three months later.
Jim preceded her in death on February 12, 2011.
Stella was Jim’s bride for 65 years on earth and now for eternity in heaven.
Like the rugged Wyoming landscape that she grew up in, Stella had a most resilient spirit.
The word “amazing” always accompanied conversations about her because no matter how down her spirits and body should have been, she never stopped coming back, and always with a smile.
She loved her Lord above all things and then her Jim Dear.
She is survived by her four children: James “Jimmy” R. Senstad of Colbert, WA, recently of Phoenix, AZ, Susan Cox of Yorba Linda, CA, Signe Nall of Colbert, WA and Roxie Sewell of Phoenix, AZ; three sons-in-law, seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
She had wonderful doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals by her side as she walked her long walk with cancer.
She always felt blessed.
She never took her good fortunes for granted but always humbly credited them as blessings from a loving, merciful and faithful Heavenly Father.
She wishes to thank all those who held her up in prayer, spent time with her and helped her walk these incredibly difficult last years.
There are hardly thanks enough for the wonderful angels at Hospice of Spokane and Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix whose dedicated and professional care helped Stella and her family walk through the Valley of the Shadows.
A memorial will be held Saturday, December 21, from 2-5 at her church in Phoenix.
In lieu of flowers, Stella would ask you to please make a donation to Hospice of Spokane, 121 South Arthur, PO Box 2215, Spokane, WA 99210-2215.