J.D. "Jasper Douglas" Stocks

J.D. (Jasper Douglas) Stocks, 78, passed away at his home next to his wife Karen on March 13, 2021 in Grandfalls, Texas. J.D. was born on November 28, 1942 in Haskell, Texas to Audie and Lydia Stocks. He married his best friend, Karen McKennon on August 1, 1980. You very seldom saw one without the other. They have 2 children Misty and James.

His 5 granddaughters-Ashlyn, Jaci, Parker, Logan, Dylan were the apple of his eye.  It was not uncommon to visit the Stocks house and have multiple kids curdled up taking a nap with him in his chair. He was a graduate of Haskell high school and continued his education at Abilene Christian University receiving a degree in Music while working full time as a boilermaker.  He later attended Sul Ross State University and received a Masters Degree in Education Administration. J.D. spent time in the school systems of Trent, Santa Anna, and Tahoka before calling Grandfalls, Tx home in the Fall of 1972.  He wore many hats at Grandfalls-Royalty ISD starting with band director and then moving to principal and superintendent thereafter.  He briefly retired in 1996 only to return to the classroom in 1997 as a Kindergarten teacher and continued to serve GRISD in some capacity until his death. On March 7th, 2014, the GRISD officially renamed the high school in his honor. J.D. had a heart the size of the state of Texas and spent his entire life serving his community.

He joined the Grandfalls Volunteer Fire Department and ambulance service the same year he moved to Grandfalls and eventually became chief in 1980.  A title he held until his passing.  He loved the GVFD family as his own and the feeling was mutual.  He also served as an instructor at Texas A&M Fire Academy for 42 years and there he made many lifelong friends. As education was his passion, he thoroughly enjoyed sharing his extensive knowledge and experiences with fellow firefighters. He served as Mayor of Grandfalls from 1980-1986 and was honored to be selected as Citizen of the Year during this time.  He had a reputation for always dropping what he was doing to help a community member in need. Through all of his roles in community service, JD made sure that he never missed an activity for his kids and was known to always have a camera or video recorder in his hands to document successes or in some cases failures.  He loved watching them on the court, field, livestock show arena or just joining in on a rollercoaster ride. He had a love for Willis Jeeps and although his kids and their friends would routinely push them past their limits, he would come up with great inventions and fix them for the next run.  He never complained and only looked for solutions to prevent the previous problems. His happy place was his property on the Pecos River where he relaxed and spent time with family.

JD is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Frankie Stocks and Wanda Stocks-Lancaster, brothers Audie Junior, and Dean Stocks

He is survived by his loving wife; Karen Stocks, daughter; Misty Acosta, son; James and wife Jennifer Stocks, brother; Jerry Lynn and wife Betty Stocks, Five granddaughters Ashlyn, Jaci, and Logan Acosta, Parker and Dylan Stocks, numerous nieces and nephews, past and present students and faculty of Grandfalls-Royalty Independent School District, Grandfalls Volunteer Fire Department, and the entire community of Grandfalls, Texas.

Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at Harkey Funeral Home in Monahans, Texas. Graveside services will be held at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, March 18, 2021 at Tamarisk Cemetery in Grandfalls, Texas. There will be a gathering after the service at the Grandfalls Volunteer Fire Dept. located on 2nd street in Grandfalls, where he served as Fire Chief for over 45 years.

Visit our website harkeyfuenrals.com to sign the guess book or leave a personal note for the family.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Harkey Funeral Home.