Shirley Yates Babb

Shirley Yates Babb, 72 of Cleveland passed away July 8, 2014. She was born November 25, 1941 in Diboll, Texas. Memorial service for Mrs. Babb will be 3:00 p.m., Saturday, July 12, 2014 at Pace-Stancil Funeral Home Chapel. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, WW “Doc” and Verline Nute Yates and her brother and sister-in-law: WR “Ray” and Martha Yates. She is survived by husband: Thurman E. “Buddy” Babb; daughter: Dana Zambon; son-in-law: Rene W. “Bud” Beaudreault; brother-in-law: Herman Babb; sister-in-law: Jane Babb; nieces: Sandy Heck, Denise Gramm, Jeanine Thibodeaux, Joni Junca and Marlo Babb; nephews: Ray Yates, Henry Rathcke III, Troy Babb and Eddy Babb; cousins: Billy Don Selman, Nub Selman, Dean Selman, Maurice Selman and James C. Selman; friends: too many to name, but all "chosen" family. Shirley was the sweetest person. To know her was to love her, and she loved everybody. She never met a stranger, and those who knew her can attest to that. No one could tell a story like her. She would get caught up in the details but still always come back to her main point -- and leave you feeling better for even hearing what she had to say. Her laugh was infectious, and even in her darkest hour, she had a smile on her face and a song in her heart. She leaves a void in the lives of all who knew her, but especially to the family she adored and always put first. She was still working, even at the ripe old age of 72 -- and doing a wonderful job. She and her good friend and business partner had a successful school software business, and they ran it well, just the two of them, for over 25 years. Those she served in their business became not just clients, but dear friends who shared their lives with her. She was always there for anyone who needed her, friends and family alike. Her hobbies were reading, cooking, sewing -- and more reading. She was such a voracious reader that she would literally stop one book and start her next one. It's what kept her entertained during her long stay in the hospital. She was also an avid bow hunter in her day, and there are a few bucks who didn't live to tell their story because of her skilled marksmanship. And boy, could she cook. Anything that came out of her kitchen was treasured. Another of her favorite hobbies was taking care of everybody she knew. She took such good care of her loved ones that she often put herself on the back burner. Buddy, her Dana-Bear and Jakie and Bonnie, her four-legged babies, will all be lost while figuring out how to carry on in her absence. That's probably a big part of why her health suffered -- she was just more concerned with those she loved than with herself. Selfless doesn't even begin to describe her nature. She leaves a hole in the hearts of many.