Darlea Stanly Feldt was born on June 28, 1957, in Leesville, La., to RT Stanly and Gloria Rose Smith. She passed from this life on Feb. 8, 2023, at the age of 65. She attended Leesville High School and shortly after moved to Houston, Texas, to marry her sweetheart in 1977. She graduated from The University of Houston in 1992 obtaining her Law degree in Criminal Justice. She worked as a civil attorney for the greater portion of her adult life until she decided she wanted to do something different and went on to haul oil refinery parts across the country. She excelled at any task she decided to do and was willing and ready to do whatever she needed to better her family’s life.
She is preceded in death by her parents, RT Stanly and Gloria R. Smith; father-in-law, Irving B. Feldt; and mother-in-law, Ethel M. Willett; stepfather, Theodore (Ted) Bolton; stepbrother, Billy Bolton; stepsister, Darla Winn; stepsister, Theresa Ethridge; and Uncle James L. Smith.
Left to cherish her memory are husband, Barry M. Feldt of Houston, Texas; son, Barry J. Feldt of Houston, Texas; son, Jarrod M. Feldt (Heather) of Houston, Texas; daughters, Jennifer A. Beaver of Houston, Texas, Michelle Stelly of Houston, Texas; brother, Tracey Stanly of DeRidder, La.; sister, Stacey Laughlin (Robert) of Anacoco, La.; stepsister, Rita Midkiff (Danny) of Burr Ferry, La.; stepsister, Stacey Joyce Jenkins of Anacoco, La.; sister-in-law, Sherri L. Fuller (Bernard) of Houston, Texas; sister-in-law, Karen M. Feldt (Timothy) of Titusville, Fla.; Aunt Laura Kay Hollingsed (Michael) of El Paso, Texas; nieces and nephews, Jessica Ferguson (Kenneth), RT Laughlin, Gregory Stanly, Keisha Belsha, Kayla Ellzey (Bryan), Stephanie Wright (Michael), Danielle McIntosh (Cody), and Jeremy Edgar; grandchildren, Austin S. Beaver, Xander J. Feldt, and Callum M. C. Gates; along with a host of cousins and great-nieces and nephews.
Darlea is quoted as “the most wonderful and lovely woman” by her family and she loved them fiercely. She cherished the love she had with her husband of 48 years and embraced him as a lifelong partner. She loved her children unconditionally and her grandchildren were what made her heart complete. She spent the last 18 years of her life ensuring her grandchildren had a good foundation to create a successful life. To her, family meant being a team and that we needed to be there for each other. She believed in family wholeheartedly. She never saw anything but good in people and ensured everyone was given a fighting chance to be successful in life. She was incredibly intelligent – managing going to college fulltime, working fulltime, raising three children full time, and being a wife. She had a grit and determination about her that was undeniable. She was the most selfless person and stronger than she even realized. She was a lover of animals and spent a lifetime raising tiny, bottle-fed kittens all the way to old, grouchy dogs. She loved them all and embraced them each for their own little personalities. She had a nurturing heart and loved everyone for the good they had to offer. She believed in a world of second chances. She will be missed greatly by everyone she knows.
A graveside service for Darlea will be held Sunday, March 5, 2023, in Castor Cemetery at 2 p.m. under the direction of Jeane’s Funeral Service.