Jacque Daphyne Starr Stefancik, age 86, of Greenville, TX passed away Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. Daphyne was born on Jan. 1, 1934; the first baby of the year in Young County, and the second and last child of Homer and Florence Starr.

After graduating from high school in Breckenridge, Daphyne moved to Corpus Christi with her sister and was working as a secretary when she met the love of her life, Rudy Thomas Stefancik, in 1952, just as he was joining the Navy.

Following his discharge, she married Rudy on Nov. 27, 1954, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Breckenridge. Soon she was caring for babies while typing her husband’s college essays.

After his graduation from the University of Houston, his work as an electrical engineer took them to Sunnyvale, Calif., El Paso, Abilene, Greenville, Huntsville, Ala., Deer Park, and back to Greenville.

Though they traveled extensively after Rudy’s retirement, Daphyne had a deep love for Texas, cohesive to her paternal family’s deep Texas roots. A devout member of St. William Catholic Church, she served on the Ladies Altar Guild and attended Bible study as long as her health allowed.

She was actively involved in the Knights of Columbus through her husband, attending many functions and baking cakes for Friday Knight Dinners.

The couple enjoyed and frequently attended the Polka Fest in West, Texas. Her hobbies included cooking and baking for her family, reading, playing games, and watching TV game shows.

She had an incredible memory and enjoyed sharing stories of her life and family with her grandchildren, especially over a bowl of ice cream. She was a living archive, always able to locate a photo of whomever she spoke of from one of her many boxes of memories.

Daphyne was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a doting grandmother. She will be missed by many. She is survived by her four children: sons Rudy Wallis Stefancik (wife Sue), Robert Michael Stefancik (wife Mary Ann), Gary Kevin Stefancik (wife Brenda), and daughter Sherilyn Jan Fox (husband Corey).

She is also survived by seven grandchildren (John Robert Stefancik, Sara Stefancik, Hannah Stefancik, Rachel Stefancik, Peter Stefancik, Abigail Stefancik, Nadia Fox) and 27 nieces and nephews. Daphyne is preceded in death by her parents (Homer E. Starr and Florence Starr Eisenhuth), her stepfather (Robert Eisenhuth), and her sister and brother-in-law (Bobbie and Warren Beene).

Her family has chosen to postpone her funeral arrangements and they will be held on a future date in conjunction with those of her husband, who passed in March.