Tresa Marie Scammel's Obituary
Tresa Marie Scammel left this world for eternal rest with her Lord on January 12, 2023, after a brief and courageous battle with cancer.
She was a mother, sister, grandmother, friend, gardener, builder, artist, seamstress, designer, decorator, and so much more.
Tresa was born to Byrt and Glenda Scammel on October 1, 1952, the second of Byrt and Glenda’s six children. She grew up in the Lakewood area of Dallas and attended St. Thomas Aquinas followed by Ursuline Academy, graduating in the class of 1971. Following high school, Tresa moved on to the University Arkansas in Fayetteville.
She then returned to Dallas and started working at a fabric store called Cutting Corners. She spent her free time on her favorite “side business” - designing and making bedspreads, draperies, pillows, and tablecloths for her customers and friends. You name it, she could sew it.
From a young age, she displayed a creative spirit and it carried through her whole life. Tresa could draw beautifully and could design and build just about anything. She eagerly learned everything she could about sewing (much of it from her grandmother, Gran Gran). Always stylish and fashion savvy, she even made homecoming gowns for herself and her friends in high school.
Tresa later transitioned into motherhood. She was a supportive mother, unconditionally loving and sacrificing many things on her children's behalf. So much of her energy was immediately devoted to the daily task of raising her children. Yet, she still found a way to remodel and landscape her home, work a full-time job, make homemade dinners, help with homework, transport kids to extracurricular activities, and sew new clothes and Halloween costumes for her kids.
Tresa changed careers at the start of the digital age. She self-taught herself Windows, word processing, and everything in between, and eventually made a career as a master technical writer and editor for oil and gas companies.
Tresa had a knack for beautifying everything around her. Growing up, she spent much time in the country at her Gran Gran’s 1900 farmhouse outside Streetman, Texas. In 2008 she purchased that farmhouse and acreage where she had spent so much time as a kid. She relocated there and immediately started renovating, decorating, and landscaping. She felt at home living in Gran’s country house and made many close friends. She became involved in local clubs including Book Club, Midway Moms, Hope for Girls, and Southside Supper Club.
But her greatest joy came with the births of her 4 granddaughters. She jumped head first into the role of “Tinky” and had such a special bond with each of the girls. Her creative genes still strong, Tinky built a 5-foot-tall, 3-story Barbie house, complete with handmade furniture and hand-sewn draperies and bedspreads for her beloved granddaughters.
Tresa was an exceptional woman. She will be missed dearly by all that knew her.
Tresa is preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her children: daughter, Elizabeth (Liz) Stutts Higdem (Nick), and son, Robert H. Stutts II (Darcy); granddaughters, Savannah and Miriam Stutts and Leah and Brynn Higdem; and siblings, Greg Scammel, Cindy Brewington Clapp (Ron), Cathy Reed (Roy), and Mark Scammel.
A private service and celebration of life will take place near her home in Streetman, Texas at a date to be later announced.
In lieu of flowers, Tresa requested that donations be made to Faith Presbyterian Hospice in Dallas, Texas, where she spent her final week https://www.forefrontliving.org/giving-opportunities/donate-now/
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