10/26/2026
On Thursday, October 22, Judy Stegall took her last breath on this earth and went straight to the arms of Jesus, the destination for which she has been yearning for quite some time now.
Judith Dale Fulcher was born May 20, 1947 in Siler City, North Carolina. Her parents were older and were quite surprised to be adding a child to their family in their advanced age. Because her parents were old, Judy spent much of her childhood around her parents’ elderly friends. This early exposure to aging set her on a lifelong path of caring for others.
Judy met the love of her life on a blind date arranged by her friend Altheia. Judy and Bill went out on exactly two dates before Bill was sent to Viet Nam in 1968. Their entire courtship was through letters and reel to reel tapes they composed during his time there. He came home in January of 1970 and they planned to marry in March of that same year.
Their haste to get married was seen as a bit cavalier as even the preacher said to them “I can’t marry you. You don’t even know each other.”
So they went to the required premarital counseling and got married anyway.
May 3, 1970 they tied the knot that never once came unraveled. For fifty-six years they stood side by side, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health. The last few years have seen a lot of sickness, but they remained unwavering in their devotion to one another.
In 1971 they added their first daughter to the family. Amy Catherine was such a joy that they soon decided to add another baby to the crew. Karen Elizabeth arrived just in time to be a tax deduction on December 31, 1973.
When Amy and Karen were very young, Judy worked in the special education department at East End Elementary school in Robersonville, NC. In 1978, Judy and Bill discovered a big surprise was on the way and soon added Kelly Marie to the show.
Now having three young children at home, Judy decided to devote herself full time to her family. She served as a Girl Scout leader, room mother and classroom volunteer, and chauffeur to her daughters’ ever changing extra curricular activities.
As her girls got older, Judy expanded her own interests and auditioned for a role with the Martin Community Players. There she was cast in her first role as a madame, a role which she fully embraced. Over her years of involvement with MCP she never could quite shake the role of madame, portraying it in nearly every subsequent musical or play.
Don’t think she didn’t like it.
In the summer of 1992, life threw the Stegall family a hard curve ball and took them from Judy’s hometown of Robersonville, North Carolina and landed them in Center, Texas. Bill’s job in an unairconditioned manufacturing plant in Texas in July was almost more than he could bear.
Meanwhile Judy and the girls were wallowing in self pity and culture shock. They longed for their familiar home in North Carolina and had difficulty acclimating to the social landscape and foreign ways of their new home in Texas.
At the invitation of several of Bill’s coworkers, the family visited First Baptist Church of Center, Texas. That congregation threw out a lifeline to the Stegalls and they never let go. For over thirty-four years Bill, Judy, and the girls have been loved and cared for by the members of First Baptist Church.
Within the church, Judy and Bill both found their home base in the community. Judy served as a Sunday School teacher, volunteered in the nursery and later stepped into the role of wedding coordinator at the church. For many, many years she served on the bereavement committee and knew off the top of her head exactly how many jell-o salads would be needed to serve a crew of any given number at a funeral meal.
She also realized young people don’t like jello salads these days and made sure there was always cheese pizza and cookies available if children were included in the head count.
Needing to fill her days and make connections in her new town of Center, Texas, Judy stepped back into the world of special education at the urging of her dear friend Sally Smith. At C.H. Daniels Intermediate School and later Center Junior High, Judy and Sally taught many a child how to read, how to write, and how to keep a clean kitchen. Judy shared her love of cooking with her students and taught them how to make sausage balls and pound cakes. Many of her students memorized those recipes and would mention them to her many years later when they saw each other around town, most notably at Walmart of Center, Texas.
Walmart of Center plays a significant role in Bill and Judy’s golden years. When they both retired, Judy and Bill found themselves frequent customers of their local everything store. Both outgoing and never short for words, they befriended every stocker, every checker, every custodian and every manager. When Judy could no longer walk long distances without getting winded, she knew she could get to the battery operated cart and navigate the store freely and independently.
Not only did this serve as a social outing for Judy, it also served as respite care. Daddy knew that when he took Mama to Walmart, she would not wander away from the store. The employees were all so kind and would help “Miss Judy” with anything she needed. This left daddy an hour or so each day where he could let his guard down knowing that so many people in the store, employees and customers alike, stood in the gap. Also standing in the gap were the staff at Cline Family Medicine, where mama remained convinced she was their very favorite patient.
Judy is survived by her devoted husband Bill, who is most bereft without his steady companion of fifty-six years.
Their children are:
Amy Hobbs and husband, Mike of Hallsboro, NC
Karen Hardison and husband, Ben of Robersonville, NC
Kelly Parker and husband, Kevin of Joaquin
Their grandchildren are:
Will Britt of Wilmington, NC
Molly Hobbs of Leland, NC
Kaleb Hobbs of Whiteville, NC
John Britt of Wilmington, NC
Matthew Burns of Greenville, TX
Kelsie Parker of Granbury, TX
Kylie Short and husband Jonathan of Huxley, TX
Camille Parker of Joaquin, TX
Collin Parker of Joaquin, TX
They have one great grandson, Kohan Nix, of Granbury, TX
No memorial service is being planned at this time.
Donations in Mama’s memory can be made to Empty Arms Ministry of First Baptist Church or Operation Christmas Child.
The family is receiving visitors at the home.
