Patricia Joan Stubben

Patricia Stubben, 40, of Amarillo, Texas, entered heaven on Thursday, January 16, 2025. 

A memorial service to honor Patricia will be held on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Schooler Funeral Home, Brentwood Chapel, 4100 South Georgia. 

 July 17th, 1984, at 10:45 PM, Patricia Joan Stubben was born during a beautiful full moon at Northwest Texas Hospital. Patricia left this world on January 16th, 2025, during a beautiful full moon AND the Atlas Comet racing across the skies at Lubbock UMC Hospital. (The Atlas Comet seemed appropriate for how Patricia lived her entire life!) Her mom, DJ Stubben, was standing beside Patricia’s birth mom when this child entered this world, then DJ held her little hand and walked with the nurse to the hospital nursery. ‘Patricia’ means ‘noble’, and ‘Joan’ means ‘gracious gift of the Lord’.

When it was Patricia’s time to depart this world, a nurse called DJ so she would be able to pray Patricia over while on the telephone. They held a cordless phone on speaker to Patricia’s ear. Patricia was covered in love prayers, and then DJ witnessed Jesus taking Patricia up to her own daughter, Avery Jane, who was waiting with outreached arms. (Avery Jane died in 2019.) They clutched each other and joyfully entered the kingdom together, not looking back. DJ got to witness that special Mom Miracle. Heaven is real!!!

Patricia always knew she was adopted. DJ had lost a baby in her 4th month, about 4 years before marrying her husband, John Stubben. John proposed adoption to DJ in February of 1984. DJ checked with friends and made calls in several large cities and surrounding states (no internet then). It took only TWO weeks to connect with Sylvia through a church group. Sylvia had kept her first two children, gave up 2 for adoption, and she was in her 4th month carrying Patricia. She was living TWO blocks down the street and getting evicted in TWO days. DJ rushed down the blocks to meet Sylvia and introduced her to John, who approved of the adoption. The family attorney worked out the details of what was allowed and what was not. DJ went to doctor appointments and bought groceries for Sylvia and her kids. John & DJ went to birthing classes and got the house ready for Patricia.

When DJ and mother-in-love Vera Stubben went to get Patricia from the hospital, DJ came to the realization when Sylvia placed Patricia in her arms that this just HAD to be the same little soul she had tried to carry years before. Patricia always heard: “ You were in Mommy’s tummy first, then in God’s arms; then in SYLVIA’S tummy, then in Mommy’s arms!” Patricia would tell stories as she grew about how she kept asking God to let her come be with DJ but God said, “Not yet!” She’d talk about being with His angels in heaven and keeping an eye on DJ. One night, when watching TV together, Patricia said, “I get back in YOUR tummy, Mommy,” and put her head on DJ’s stomach. John was a lot older than DJ, and he died when Patricia was very young.

When the economy was slow, DJ continued to work at Welcome Pardner but had to take extra employment to make ends meet. DJ was a Food Broker for a couple of years. She could take Patricia with her to the out-of-town- stores. They would clean shelves together and put the products DJ represented back on the displays. Patricia helped the entire time. The store’s owners thought Patricia was smart and cute. She’d look at them with those beautiful brown eyes, give a big smile, and walk out with treats and toys lavished on her!!

The car rides were educational: listening to cassette tapes and songs about the alphabet and learning about cows, horses, and windmills along the way. One of Patricia’s favorites was the tape from “American Tail”, “Beauty and the Beast” and other movies seen together. Patricia would sing “Somewhere Out There” to DJ from the back seat, off-key and loud in her sweet child’s voice. (DJ can STILL hear that sweet sound in her heart.)

When Patricia was in elementary school, and it was still ‘cool’ to be friends with your mom, Patricia would have DJ bring Chick-fil-A or whatever restaurants where DJ had some trade for school lunchtime. Patricia would be in charge of the table and command her mom to do impersonations: The Queen of England, A Southern Belle ,and more. (Patricia then had DJ do the same performances for her own children later!!!)

Patricia, like her mom, was an entrepreneur, even as a child. Whatever trend Patricia was into, DJ would buy the supplies, and Patricia would have all the kids who were in the after-school program do projects. One time, it was making bracelets from string. She would have the supplies, get the kids to do all the work, then go out and sell the bracelets and keep the money!! She collected a lot of beautiful rocks from a trip to New Mexico with Aunt Rubyjo, took them home, got DJ to buy the paints, did the paintings, and then got DJ’s friends to buy them. She got $20 for one of those rocks! One of her favorite colors was ‘turquoise’. To this day, she couldn’t pronounce ‘turquoise’, so she continued to say ‘blue-green’ !!!

Friday nights were movie & beauty shop nights. The Stubben girls would go to the Dollar movie, split a Dollar popcorn, a drink and a pickle; watch the movie, then go home and play beauty shop in Mama’s bathroom.

As Patricia grew, she’d have friends with her after school, on weekends, etc. DJ took the kids with her on work errands and always kept the radio off to hear their conversations. On the way to the post office, Patricia asked her friend, “Who do YOU like better: Bill Clinton or Hitler??” The little girl said, “I KNOW who Bill Clinton is; who’s Hitler?” Patricia authoritatively answered, “He’s the guy who killed a lot of people because of where they go to church!” The other little girl was shocked. Then Patricia commented, “Boy! I’m glad we go to Paramount Terrace!!!” 

When the movie “Terms of Endearment” was released, Patricia said Shirley MacLaine represented DJ: especially the scene when MacLaine climbed into the baby’s crib to make sure her daughter was breathing. 

DJ volunteered for the Amarillo Chamber’s ribbon-cutting committee for 24 years. The people who attended the most ribbon cuttings would usually win 2 tickets on SW Airlines. DJ usually won annually and that’s how the Stubben girls got to go on vacations. Patricia got to meet a lot of famous people because of her mom’s travels and community involvement. DJ met Dolly Parton at the Civic Center, giving Dolly copies of DJ’s published books. Dolly signed autograph pictures for DJ and one for Patricia. Patricia took her signed picture of Dolly to school and said, “Look! My mommy met DOLLY PARTNER!!!”

When Patricia became an adult, especially a mom herself, she’d tell DJ: “You ruined my life!!! You made life seem magical! Life isn’t magical. Life is hard!!!” They would talk about it, and she’d let DJ know how she always made working several jobs look easy and always thought they were rich.

Patricia had two children: Shida and Dalorian; living with DJ a few years, then out on her own, moving to Lubbock. Then, she met Alvin Paulhill in Lubbock. They had Alvin Patrick, Ashton Ray, and Avery Jane. Patricia would leave and go back to live with DJ a while, then back to Lubbock, then back to DJ, etc. Patricia would call DJ regularly and said when she was really homesick, she’d go to the Post Office in Lubbock just to SMELL IT! (Welcome Pardner’s years of mailing,s which she’d helped with!!!)

Entrepreneur Patricia learned from Alvin Paulhill how to detail cars She had moved back to Amarillo with little Alvin and decided she was going to open her own mobile carwash detailing service: Just Fabulous Mobile Carwash!! Welcome Pardner marketed it; Patricia did a great job for the customers; DJ was her bookkeeper. One client with a fleet of vehicles called Patricia after she cleaned their trucks the first time. DJ heard one side of the conversation: “Yes sir. Oh my MOM does my invoices, not me! What did she do wrong??” Patricia glared at her mother. “Sir, you want us to do what??? Ok. I’ll be over there this afternoon with a different invoice!” Turns out her service was SO good, the client wanted an invoice for DOUBLE the amount: she’d already gotten a raise!!! Patricia returned to Lubbock a few months later, helping Alvin at his business. 

Patricia loved and loved deeply.

Patricia inherited addiction through her biological family: sadly, all but one bio-uncle died from addiction. She tried doing sobriety on her own; when something would go wrong, it was easier to succumb. When she realized how sick she was, it was too late. Patricia wanted so much to live.

The last month of her life she did fight to stay alive but her body was too sick. Curt and Debra Montgomery took DJ to see Patricia in Lubbock a week before she died. DJ walked up to Patricia, patted her face and said, “Honey, this is the first time I’ve visited you in the hospital that you aren’t giving me a grandbaby!” Patricia opened her eyes and groaned, still having a sense of humor.

Patricia is survived by daughter, Shida Kelly and Shida’s two sons; sons Dalorian Kelly, Alvin Patrick Paulhill, Ashton Ray Paulhill. Also, their father and Patricia’s longtime companion, Alvin Paulhill, are all from Lubbock. Daughter, Avery Jane Paulhill, in Heaven. And Patricia’s mom, DJ Stubben, and many-adopted-to-Patricia’s-heart Aunts, Sisters, pets, and friends. Patricia was loved very, very much. 

The family wishes to express appreciation to the 3rd and 4th floors MICU nursing staff at UMC Hospital and David Hunsaker, director of Hospice of the South Plains. Much deep appreciation to Pastor Gene Shelburne, who is conducting Patricia’s Celebration of Life Service, for Gene’s friendly, Godly counseling for DJ: conducting Avery Jane’s funeral 5 years ago and through the final weeks of Patricia’s life. ‘Thank you’ seems so shallow. Thank you to all of you who have messaged, written, called, or stopped by to comfort DJ. You are so appreciated with love.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Andrea’s Project (they have a successful program helping people get/ stay sober) PO Box 1043, Amarillo Tx 79105.