Edith Stinner

Edith Natalie Stinner, née Lawrence, went to meet our Lord on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at the age of 96. Born on November 18, 1925 in Des Moines, Iowa, Edith and her family moved to Houston when she was five years old. She was preceded in death by her parents, Vance Bonsall Lawrence and Florence MacRae Lawrence; her siblings Bo, Jack and Pecky; her husband Lamar C. (Skip) Stinner Jr; and her son, Peter Lamar Stinner. She is survived by her daughter Lodie Mueller and her son Bill Stinner-Trimble; her daughter-in-law Angela Stinner-Trimble; her son-in-law Jeff Graham; nephews Robert and Steve-and-Alan-and-Ron(nie); grandchildren Sasha, Natalie, Shelby, and Owen; and great-grandchildren Guillaume, Giselle, Genevieve, and Eleanor.

Edith was an active member of Pines Presbyterian Church since 1962, serving as Elder, communion bread baker, palm leaf provider, Sunday School teacher, visitor to the homebound, delegate to the General Assembly, and prayer group, Women’s Circle and Bible study member. She also served as editor of the Pines newsletter and bulletin well into her eighties! Edith worked as a legal secretary, an elementary school crossing guard, and an executive secretary at the Presbytery of New Covenant. Her most important work was raising her three children as a single parent after her beloved husband Skip died in 1968. She attended about a million PTA, Garden Club, Bible study, church committee, PEO, and Cub Scout meetings, as well as countless musical and sporting events. She did not want to miss out on even the smallest occasion and would jump in her car at the drop of a hat to take part. Though not musically inclined herself, Edith enthusiastically appreciated music of all types. One of the characteristics Edith’s children cherish the most is her devotion to their musical pursuits by providing piano, guitar and voice lessons, a huge drum set (“I know where he is, and I know what he’s doing”) and (perhaps too) many guitars.

Affectionately known as “Speedy Edie” for her frequent car trips to San Antonio to see those four precious grandchildren, Edith had a lifelong love of travel from San Francisco to New York to Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, and the Panama Canal. With endless stories about her beloved Grandma and Grandpa MacRae, Edith claimed her Scottish heritage with immeasurable joy and pride. An iconic journey for her was her trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the wedding of dear cousins Gordon and Susan. Afterward, she, Lodie, and other family members drove up into the Highlands near Inverness to visit Auchmore, the farm where her grandfather John MacRae was born. Her final travel adventure, for her 85th birthday, fulfilled her dream of visiting Savannah, GA with Peter and Lodie. Losing her own mother when she was only 18 and becoming widowed at 42 to raise her three children, ages 11, 5, and 3, Edith faced the enormous challenges in her life with resilience, patient endurance, unwavering faith, and remarkable joy and creativity. Described by her husband as “going out of her way to be honest,” Edith had an irrepressible sense of humor that endured to the very end. Just two days before her death, she joked about being a “hot mama” and jitterbugging with Jesus.

A memorial service will be held at Pines Presbyterian Church on Friday, September 2, at 1:00 in the afternoon. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations to Pines Presbyterian Church or the scholarship fund at Trinity University in the name of Edith’s son, Peter Stinner.

For donations:
Pines Presbyterian Church: https://www.pinespc.org/
Trinity University scholarship link: http://bit.ly/ForPeterStinner