Bessie Lee Barrens married William R. Stafford 1922. The couple had three children: two sons Jimmie, George and a daughter Myrtle E. Both William and Bessie as well as son George were educators. Well known and respected in the community.


From: Gatesville Messenger & Star Forum”, Wednesday, February 26, 1997:

Bessie L. Stafford of Robinson died Feb. 21 in a Waco care center. She
was 99.
Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. today (Wednesday) at the
First Baptist Church in Waco with the Rev. George Harrison officiating.
Burial will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Gatesville.
She was born May 24, 1897, in Gatesville and was the last surviving
child of 14 children born to the late Jacob and Mary Ann Barrens. She
was reared and educated in Gatesville and attended Prairie View A&M
University and Paul Quinn University where she received her bachelor
of science degree. She was also a licensed vocational nurse. She married
William H. Stafford in 1922 and they spent most of their married lives in
Italy where she taught school for 44 years. Stafford Elementary School
in Italy was named in her honor. She also taught school in Gatesville and
Gholson before retiring in 1968 from the Crockett State School for Girls.
She was a member of the National Retired Teachers Association, the Texas
Retired Teachers Association and the AARP. She was a member of the
First Baptist Church in Waco where she was past clerk and Sunday school
teacher. She was preceded in death by her husband on Jan. 5, 1947, and
by a son, Jimmie L. Stafford, in 1929.
Survivors include a daughter, Myrtle Clark of Robinson; a son, George
of Prairie View; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers are Paul Stafford, Patrick Stafford, George Stafford,
Clarence Barrens, Grady Barrens and James Ford. Honorary pallbearers
are deacons and trustees of the First Baptist Church.
The family requests memorials be made to the B.L. Stafford Educational
Foundation, P.O. Box 428, Prairie View, Texas 77446.