Georgia Lillian (DeMasters) Stubblefield passed away peacefully at home on October 29, 2013, surrounded by family. She was born November 30, 1923, in Columbia, MO. When she was three or four years old, her family packed everyone and everything they owned into their car and drove from Missouri to Oregon, where one of her uncles said there were jobs available. She remembered sitting on someone's lap during the ride. Frequently they had to stop along the way to work for money to buy food and gasoline. She attended Sam's Valley High School, where she was on the volleyball team, played violin in the orchestra, played piano, sang in the choir, performed in plays, helped the children in the younger classes with their lessons, and in her senior year, cooked for the school. The kids always looked forward to her Spanish rice. She also won an award for being the fastest typist in the school district. Georgia met her future husband, James Albert Stubblefield, when she was in her junior year. Her escort was late to the baseball game, and hurried ahead of her. Albert saw her as she approached the barbed wire fence that surrounded the field, and he held the fence open for her so she could go into the stands. As he puts it, "Love done stuck me right between the eyes." Shortly after that time they began to go out to dances, taffy pulls, hayrides, etc., and, of course, they saw each other in school. They got to know each other's families. When Albert asked her father for her hand in marriage, her father said that he had better ask her, because she was the one he wanted to marry. Georgia graduated from Sam's Valley High School as valedictorian. She and Albert decided to elope to Reno, NV, to get married. Her mother gave them $35 on which to make the trip. They were married on December 2, 1941. The $35 bought gasoline, food, a night in a motel room, and $5.00 for gambling. When they returned from Reno, they still had $5.00 left. Five days after they married, World War II started. Albert tried to enlist, but they wouldn't take him because he had a punctured eardrum. They moved to Sacramento, where Georgia did secretarial work for the Signal Corps, and Albert worked in the Civil Air Corps as an airplane mechanic and repairman, and in a short time, foreman of a crew. In a newspaper picture from that time there is a picture of Jimmy Doolittle's airplane with a big patch on its side that Albert put on it. After the war, they moved back to Oregon and settled in Roseburg. Daughter Barbara was born in 1948. When she was two, they moved to a 30-acre ranch in Melrose, where they were living when son David was born in 1952 followed by son Michael in 1953. Georgia said every time she had to chase the neighbor's cow out of their large garden, she was pregnant "out to here." They had pigs, chickens and a cow. Albert did the outside chores before and after work. Georgia canned garden produce along with the pears and apples that grew on the ranch. Albert went to work for the State Highway Department, where he became a Highway Engineer. During the course of his 37½-year career, the family was transferred several times, moving first to Myrtle Creek, then Brookings, then Myrtle Point and finally settling for good, again in Roseburg. Georgia was good at packing and was admired for being able to put ten pounds of stuff in a five-pound bucket. She could pack fast enough to keep the professional movers busy. Georgia was never a very social person. Her energy went into her marriage and her children. She made lunches for Albert and the children every work and school day, remembering who liked and didn't like what. She saw that lunches were balanced with bread, meat, vegetables, fruit and milk, and the occasional cookie. She cooked all the family dinners, and everyone sat down to the table for supper. She helped with homework, explaining math, spelling, or whatever, and typing reports or papers when necessary. She mastered the "new math" well enough to tutor her children in it. Georgia and Albert raised their children with unconditional love, demonstrating the value of integrity and respect as well. Pets were loved and treated kindly. There was a lot of laughter in the home, and jokes and gentle teasing were part of life. She loved to read, and she instilled her love of reading in her children. There were endless trips to the library and strict instructions to be very careful, not only with library books, but with all books. She was able to read to the family on long road trips, often from "Reader's Digest," while Albert drove. Georgia also crocheted, making everything from doilies to toys to clothes and blankets. She was a big fan of the pineapple pattern, and made several tablecloths using it. She communicated with family and friends through cards, letters and occasional phone calls. She enjoyed working on jigsaw puzzles, and she did crossword puzzles with an ink pen. She and Albert grew up during the Depression, and they both learned to "make do." Georgia could make a pretty night stand from a wooden peach crate with contact paper covering the top and fabric thumbtacked around the top edge. If she didn't have a box the right size, she would cut it and tape it until it was just right and then cover it with contact paper. She would cover a large cardboard box with a pretty cloth and turn it into an end table with storage. Albert could fix anything. Georgia was a good cook. Albert always said that she cooked the best food when money was tight - potato soup, biscuits and gravy, homemade bread, Spanish rice, etc. She wasn't a fancy cook, but her meals were well balanced and delicious. Music was an important part of home life. In addition to playing the piano and violin, Georgia had a pretty singing voice and often sang harmony with Albert and the children. Albert whistles beautifully, plays the harmonica and Jew's harp, and also has a nice singing voice. Barbara and Michael sang and performed in choirs, and David played cornet, trombone and then baritone in band. Although Albert could not attend performances because he had to go to work so early, Georgia rarely missed a performance. During the 70s she taught herself how to play the guitar. There was always room for one or several more extra people in the house. When people came to visit, room was made, sometimes by rearranging sleeping arrangements, and all were made welcome, family and friends alike. If someone needed help, Georgia and Albert were ready to lend a hand. The children's friends were always welcome and were treated as part of the family. Once the grandkids came along, she was the same way with them and their friends, as well. When personal computers first came out, Georgia bought a Commodore 64 (one of the first available for home use) primarily for its word processor, and learned how to use it. She was also a fan of the Q*bert game. She became adept at the original Nintendo, and later the Super Nintendo. She was a great fan of Tetris and the Legend of Zelda, for which she drew her own map to help her navigate the game. Her grandkids enjoyed many hours of true competition with their grandma, something few children of their generation can claim. When the first "real" home computers came out, she wanted one, but funds were tight. Albert sold their Chevy van for enough money to buy the computer and an El Camino. Later he traded the El Camino for a Jeep Cherokee. She learned to use the new computer and eventually even bought a notebook computer so she could travel with it. The computer and software came in very handy when it came to her favorite hobby during the last third of her life, genealogy. She developed and maintained friendships with cousins and family as far away as France. She was meticulous with her genealogy records, not inputting new information unless it had three proofs. She traced the Stubblefield family back to the mid-1700s. She wasn't as successful with the DeMasters side because several of her ancestors had no record of their ancestors. In the late 80s or early 90s, Georgia and Albert discovered that some of the eastern Oregon Stubblefields were having an annual reunion, and they arranged to attend. Through their work and organization, the reunion grew from 30 or 40 attendees to meetings of 125 or more people who came from Washington, California, Idaho, etc. Later, as it became more difficult to travel to eastern Oregon, Georgia still kept busy with genealogy and research. Georgia was all things to her family and unofficially adopted children. She was wife, counselor, teacher, nurse, cook, chauffeur, philosopher, and over all wise woman. She provided loving support for everyone, and very little criticism. When her children married, her love expanded to include their spouses and later, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Albert, to whom she would have been married for 72 years on December 2, 2013. She is also survived by her children - Barbara Brice, husband Douglas, and daughter Katherine - David, wife Bernita, their son Jason, his wife, Angie, and their children, Lilly and Hannah; their son Kyle, his wife, Emily, and their children Jaeda and Kyla; their daughter, Rebecca and her husband, Travis - Michael, his wife, Jeannie, their daughter Kassy, her children Alycia and Justin; their daughter Kamie and her son James. At her request, there will be no funeral, graveside or memorial service. Family and friends are invited to her birthday party and celebration of life on November 30, 2013, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 26th. Please share your memories and comments here at the website. Thank you for visiting.