Emma Louisa Bistline's Obituary
Emma Louisa Bistline
Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Friend and Family Heart
06.01.1938 - 02.23.2025
We are celebrating a life well lived – for all the love she shared to everyone.
Emma was born in Lexington, Oklahoma on the 1st of June in 1938 to Robert E. Lee Peeler and Lona Iness Phillips Peeler.
She passed away peacefully surrounded by her family and loved ones on the 23rd of February 2025.
She married the love of her life, Joesph Richard Bistline on the 8th of June 1956 – they recently celebrated 68 years of marriage – which was many years of love, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and life events.
After marrying the love of her life, she was a homemaker. Being one of the best mothers ever to us four girls, foster children, our friends and extended family. She loved to cook and bake – she baked the most amazing carousel cakes for us girls and rabbit cakes for Easter – she strived on keeping her family happy and always made her children and husband the focus of her life.
Once we girls got older, continuing her love for children she went to work for the School District in Oklahoma City. Where she continued the love for children that needed the love and caring that another family couldn’t provide so we as a family, fostered many children.
In 1978 we relocated our family to Richardson, Texas and she continued her career at Richardson Independent School District in the Administration Building. She retired from RISD after decades of service in 2000.
She also loved to sew and shop, so her shopping mostly was at fabric stores. From our younger years, she made a lot of our clothing, all of which were perfectly made, but honestly, to look back now at the colors of our four dresses and the puffy hair that she did for us, I am not sure she thought about the future pictures we would sit and ponder and laugh at. But we always had amazing dresses for every event, most of which she made. She was meticulous in her crafting of quilts, from Dinosaurs, Farm Animals, Trucks, Fire Engines, Humpty Dumpty to Owl’s, anything that was the focus of the child she was making it for. She did it all and absolutely loved doing every one of them. This consumed a lot of her life after retirement, and the quality was unmeasurable. She had a gift of creativity, and all her quilts showed how much love she put into each one of them.
Of course, we could go on and on at how amazing this wonderful person was, but most of all she lived this perfect life with love, strength and encouragement for others, but she loved her family most of all.
She is proceeded in death, by her parents, Robert and Lona Peeler. Siblings: Robert, Earl Wayne, Lee Roy, Opal, Juanita, Lenda, Wilda, and Elwanda. Great-Great Granddaughter, RyLynn Grace Hatley, Grandson in Law Eric Davis, and Foster Daughter Charlotte Guerrero.
She is survived by her loving Husband of 68 years, Joesph Richard Bistline. Sister and Best friend Glenda Redman, Daughters, Vicki Moore, husband Chris; Dayna LaPoma; Sharla Hatton, husband David; Tina Bistline, husband Bryan Ator, Foster Daughter Kim Guerrero. Thirteen Grandchildren, Twelve Great Grandchildren and 15 Great-Great Grandchildren and too many to mention additional loving family members.
The service will be on March 7th at Restland Cemetary located at 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Texas. With Visitation from 1-2; and the service immediately following at the Wildwood Chapel at Restland Park.
We would like to express our love and appreciation to the staff at Grand Brook Memory Care in Allen, Texas. You were amazing to our Mother and we will always be grateful.
In lieu of flowers we would love for donations to be made in memory of Emma Bistline– to the Alzheimer’s Association of Dallas. www.alz.org.
What’s your fondest memory of Emma?
What’s a lesson you learned from Emma?
Share a story where Emma's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Emma you’ll never forget.
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