Florette Gail “Flo” Jones, 78, of Brownwood, Texas passed away Friday, March 7, 2025. A visitation with her family will be held at Heartland Funeral Home from 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Thursday, March 13, 2025. The Funeral service begins at 2:00 PM, Friday, March 14, 2025 at the Early Church of Christ with James Glasscock officiating.
Florette Gail “Flo” Jones was born in Lampasas, Texas, on September 8, 1946, to Jim and Margie Jones. She was the oldest of four children and the only girl. She grew up in Brownwood and Winters, Texas, graduating from Winters High School in 1965. She attended Texas Women’s University earning her bachelor’s degree in Home Economics in 1971. She furthered her education obtaining her master’s degree in English with a minor in Physical Education from Angelo State University in 1984. Flo pursued her Doctor of Education in Supervision, Curriculum, and Instruction from East Texas State University graduating 1996.
Flo married Alan Wood in 1967. They were married for 20 years and had four beautiful daughters – Gail, Missy, Becky, and Natalie. Flo married Ray Reven in 1989 before his passing in 1991. In 2005, she reconnected with an old friend, William E. “Bill” Stirman, and they were married in June of 2006. He passed in 2011 after a marriage of five and a half years.
Flo was multi-talented and was never afraid to try new things, tackling all her endeavors head-on. When her children were young, she ran a thriving catering and cake decorating business out of her home where she made cakes for the local sports teams, birthdays, weddings, and more. She also wasn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves to help put on a roof, remodel the house, or help her parents with their remodeling business. She even managed a convenience store and had her real estate license.
However, Flo is best known for her career in education. Her first step into this life was substituting with the Brady school system, before accepting a position as the 8th grade Earth Science teacher at Brady Junior High which she held for four years.
After leaving Brady ISD, she joined the Brady Police Department as a dispatcher. This career move urged her to explore Emergency Medicine. She became an ECA (Emergency Care Attendant) and quickly moved up to EMT and Paramedic with special skills. Eventually she became an EMT/Paramedic instructor for TSTC-Sweetwater. Notably, she became one of only four certifying testers for the state of Texas and was the first female to hold this position. She joined an emergency rescue team out of Brownwood, learning repelling and other life-saving rescue skills. Her girls have vivid memories of being used as “training dummies” during training sessions in their home and front yard. They were given fake injuries and then splinted, bandaged, assessed, and treated by the students she was teaching. In the mid 80’s Flo and a close friend established and ran a new ambulance service providing superior care and faster response times.
She stepped into the collegiate level of education by teaching Accounting at Central Texas Commercial College in Brownwood as well as English for Central Texas College in Killeen.
From 1990 – 1993, she moved back into the public school system at Mullin ISD. For those years, she not only taught but was also a coach and a sponsor for many student activities. Her time at Mullin showed Flo that there was a need for more thorough training for first year teachers. In 1993, she started her educational doctorate specializing in working with preservice teachers. She was passionate about learning and teaching and was able to pass that excitement down to her students. She spent the last 12 years of her career as a tenured professor at Tarleton State University in the education department. Her professional accomplishments include being the ATPE sponsor for the Tarleton university chapter, holding a spot on the Teacher Recruitment Board for the Texas A&M system, being the education department recruiter for TSU, and earning the Barry J Thompson Service Award. It is safe to say that Flo has impacted many lives throughout her educational career. Her daughters know many people who went on to become great teachers because of Flo.
After retiring, she poured herself into her family and being around her daughters and grandchildren, who were her life. She enjoyed audiobooks, attending bible studies, diamond art, singing and traveling with the Cross Timbers Community Choir, and volunteering with ATPE. Flo loved a good “dad joke” which she enjoyed sharing with her grandchildren. She loved family game nights – the laughter, competition, stories, and comradery. She enjoyed playing bingo at the Vicksburg with her friends and at Grand Starz with her daughters and granddaughters.
Flo was easy to make friends with and was known for her generous and loving nature. She was quick with a smile and a helping hand, be it a ride to the doctor or giving B12 shots at Vicksburg. She loved animals, especially Chihuahuas, at one point having a herd of Chihuahua puppies in her house. She shared a Chihuahua with Bill Stirman, named Princess, that lived to be 15 years old. While Princess was listed as the emotional support animal, Flo was Princess’ emotional support person. Those two went everywhere together.
Before her death she was a member of the Early Church of Christ and the Brownwood chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Flo Stirman is proceeded in death by her parents, James Jehu and Martha Margie Jones, brothers Paul Justin and Thomas Laster Jones, and husbands Govil Ray Reven and William E. “Bill” Stirman.
She is survived by one brother, Leroy Henry Jones (Stephenville, TX); daughters Gail Wood-Rush and husband Greg Rush (Early, TX), Missy Ryan and husband Chris Ryan (Brownwood, TX), Rebecca Wood and fur babies (Aurora, CO), and Natalie Wood and partner Robert Watson (San Antonio, TX); 14 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; 14 nieces and nephews; many great-nieces and nephews; four step children; several step grandchildren; three sisters-in-law; and Flo’s own fur baby, Teddy.
She was known by many names. To her brothers she was Sissy. To her students at Mullin, she was Granny. To her college students, she was Doctor Reven/Stirman. Other nicknames were Flo Jo, Floride, Flossie, or Doc. But her most cherished names were Mom, Grandmother, and Gram.
Online condolences can be shared with the family at www.heartlandfuneralhome.net