Edward Alan Stam

Edward Alan Stam was born in Rochester, NY, on June 18, 1937. He grew up with his older sister Betty and younger sister Carol in a Dutch community with his parents Jacob and Ella. He was a first-generation American.
Ed grew up with a love of sports and natural athletic abilities, excelling in baseball, soccer and basketball throughout grade school and into high school. That love of sports carried into his time at Roberts Wesleyan College, where he lettered in both soccer and basketball. He still holds the school’s scoring record for a single season and his jersey number, No. 7, was retired after his induction into the school’s hall of fame in 1981. He graduated with a degree in biology and a minor in mathematics in 1958.
It was at Roberts Wesleyan College where he spotted a cute little blonde from West Virginia walking down the sidewalk. He dropped a water balloon on her from out his dorm room window, and the rest was history. Ed and Mary Alice were married on October 18, 1958 at the chapel on the college campus, surrounded by colorful fall leaves and their friends and family – many of whom they regularly see to this day.
Ed went to work as a 5th grade elementary teacher. Their children – Brad, Lynne and Judi – were all born in Rochester and lived there until 1969, playing in the snow and enjoying life in a neighborhood full of beloved friends. After several years of working as a pharmaceutical representative, Ed decided to move his family to Texas. Ed worked hard and enjoyed many years of success with the company he built, Bedford Oil and Gas.
Ed and Mary Alice were charter members of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, pastored by Chuck Swindoll. They were regularly involved in Bible studies, leadership activities and retreats, including a trip to Israel. They made regular visits back to New York for church camps with their Rochester community and reunions with fellow Roberts Wesleyan alumni.
In 1987, Ed began his greatest role: “Bapa.” His first grandchild, Christopher Jacob (“C.J.”), gave him his widely known moniker after attempting to say “Grandfather,” and the name stuck. Over the next decade, his four other grandchildren – Alli, Parker, Mary Kathryn and William – were born. He was actively involved in the lives of each grandchild, traveling for C.J.’s soccer games, coaching Alli’s sixth grade basketball team, watching Parker play football and various other sports, cheering for Mary Kathryn in school plays and fishing with William.
Ed and Mary Alice lived in a neighborhood across the street from the DFW grandchildren’s school,
Covenant Christian Academy, and served as surrogate grandparents to dozens of students throughout the years. CCA kids regularly spent time at their home, walking there after school, watching movies and eating snacks, pitching tents in the backyard and, one time, built a slip-n-slide on the hill in their yard during a class off period. Ed was a regular fixture at all CCA events, keeping up with students’ high school athletic careers and cheering each one on by name.
Ed was an avid fisherman, enjoying an annual bass fishing excursion to Canada each year with his cousin and friends and spending time with family at the pond behind his daughter and son-in-law’s house, as well as at his home at Watermere.
Ed claimed the identity of “Texan” quickly, regularly donning a white Stetson and his favorite ostrich cowboy boots. He loved taking his entire family to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo every year, daring his grandchildren to ride “the zipper” and buying funnel cakes for everyone. When Mary Alice returned to school to complete her nursing degree at Texas Christian University, Ed became a passionate Horned Frog fan, holding season football tickets for decades. He followed the Frogs in all sporting events and regularly gravitated toward the color purple.
Every summer, Ed and Mary Alice would escape the Texas heat and head to Lake Tahoe. Their children and grandchildren would join them for 10 days of water skiing, fishing, rafting, hiking, boating and biking. Many years of annual trips to Tahoe are some of the family’s most treasured memories.
In 2011, Ed was diagnosed with kidney failure. After a spirited battle, he died of complications from the illness on Saturday, April 29 in Grapevine, Texas. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Mary Alice; his son and daughter-in-law Brad and Weslyn Stam; his daughter and son-in-law Lynne and Art Pengelly; his daughter and son-in-law Judi and Jim Sherrill; grandchildren C.J. Stam, Alli Haltom and her husband Stephen, Parker Sherrill, Mary Kathryn Pengelly and William Pengelly; and sisters Betty DeWaard and Carol Flint.
Visitation is Friday, May 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst, Texas. The funeral is
Saturday, May 6, at 1 p.m in the chapel at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to UT Southwestern Medical Center,
P. O. Box 910888, Dallas, TX 75391-0888 or online at utsouthwestern.edu/donatenow to support Drs. Robert Toto and Ramesh Saxena in kidney disease research.