Della Stansbury

Stansbury, Della Lyle Della, also known as Lyle Jasperson in her early years, was born November 12, 1920, in Payson, Utah, to Calvin Joseph and Della Mary/May (Rowley) Jasperson. Sadly, in 1922, when Della was only 2 years old, her mom passed away from Cholera. This left Della (2) and younger brother Vearl (8 months old) motherless. They were then raised by their paternal grandmother, Laura Alice Dean Horton Jasperson in Goshen, Utah. Della loved and fondly talked about her Grandma Alice and the many skills she taught her, including manners, canning, and sewing. But tragedy struck again in 1933 when Alice died from tuberculosis. Now aged 13, Della, along with Calvin and Vearl, went to Eureka, Utah, where she took care of them while attending school. At the age of 17, she met and later married Timothy Edgeworth Downey, of Santaquin, Utah. As grandma put it, “he had a car and worked in the mines so I thought I was making a wise choice.” They had 3 children: Connie, Judy, and Dorothy. Della and Tim divorced and Della moved to Lancaster, Calif in 1949 to reside with her dad and start anew. She met and married Edward Henry Houtz in 1952. She also began nursing school while they raised 6 children together (Ed had 3 children also). After graduating from nursing school in 1956, Della went to work for Dr. Robert M. Stansbury. In 1958, Ed and Della were out driving, looking for property, with Ed’s mother, Gertrude, and sister, Barbara, Barbara’s husband, Walt, and daughter Crystal, when their car was hit by a school bus. Ed died and Gertrude and Della were injured. Now a widow, Della continued working for Dr. Stansbury at a  combined hospital/clinic on Lancaster Boulevard. They married in 1964 and opened a practice in Costa Mesa, California. They made their home in Corona del Mar for many years. After Robert suffered a stroke, they moved to Palmdale, California, in 1981, to be near her daughters, eventually building a beautiful custom home on the corner of Barrel Springs and Tierra Subida. Regrettably, Robert passed away in 1984.    A precious mother, she raised 3 beautiful daughters: Connie Collignon (Robert) of Ellensburg, Washington, Judy Smith (Henry, deceased) of Palmdale, California, and Dorothy Thompson, of Lancaster, California. Full of energy and inquisitive by nature she enjoyed staying busy and traveling. She was a resident of Palmdale and Lancaster for 50+ years and a lifetime member of Soroptimist International.  She joined her family in Heaven, including brother Vearl and sister Donna, on April 25, 2020, in Lancaster, California. She lived 99 1/2 full years enjoying life. In addition to her daughters, she leaves behind 10 grandchildren: Thomas (Teresa) Lucas, of Bonney Lake, Washington, Michael Lucas (deceased) Laurie (Walter) Rohrenback of Palmdale, California, Sheri (Kevin) Drake of Eagle, Maine, David L. Thompson, Jr., of Long Beach, California,  Christine (Russel-deceased) Collignon-Ray of Ellensburg, Washington, Brian (Nanette) Smith of Palmdale, California, Jenifer (Rod) Martinez of Palmdale, California, Jeffrey L. (Jackie) Thompson of Lancaster, California, and Karen Collignon-Foley of Ellensburg, Washington, 28 great, 42 great-great, and 4 great-great-great-grandchildren (6 generations). A celebration of life is pending due to the pandemic. She was interred at Desert Lawn Memorial Park, in Palmdale, California,  on May 13, 2020.  A loving mother and grandmother she will be in our hearts forever.