Alma Rae Wilder was born to James Harper & Minnie Zebedee (Weed) Talley on September 6, 1934 in Barksdale, Texas.  She passed from this life unexpectedly on June 16, 2021 in New Braunfels, Texas at the age of 86.

Alma Rae was preceded in death by her parents and her husbands, most recently James T Wilder; her sisters, Corrine Jacoby and Lila Jean Stitts; brother, Ira Talley and her daughter-in-law, Carol Wilder. She is survived by her three children, Jack Daniel Wilder of San Antonio, Roberta "Robbie" Wilder Arrieta of Austin and James Travis Wilder of Waco; grandchildren, Daniel Harper Wilder, Caryn Lea Westberg, William Travis Arrieta and Micaela Rae Arrieta; great-grandchildren, Weston Schulze, Tyler Wilder, Luke Wilder, Kira Wilder, Aiden Navarro & Colton Westberg, great great-grandchild Berkeley Schulze and many other additional relatives and dear friends.

Alma Rae was a Master Gardener. One of her favorite past times was spending time outside with her plants, as well as feeding and watching the birds and hummingbirds play. She was a lover of animals, ensuring that all scraps were laid outside to feed the animals rather than go to waste. Nature fed her soul and she loved to surround herself in it. She captured it in photographs of all kinds of flowers, deer, hummingbirds, and even an innovative squirrel hanging upside down to get at the bird food.

She was a creative chef who thoroughly enjoyed spending time in the kitchen using recipes as a suggestion to create amazing meals and desserts. Her specialty was being adventurous in experimenting with spices. She was fearless with her cooking endeavors, willing to make a possible mistake with food on the chance that she may hit culinary genius. Her enthusiasm for cooking was contagious. She always had cookies or treats on hand for any visitor who stopped by.

She led a diverse work life, as she was a woman of many interests; a renaissance woman who expressed her diversity with many careers. She was a dedicated educator who got her degree from Southwest Texas State Teachers College and went on to teach in various areas including 9 ^th grade accelerated English in Alice and cutting-edge computer science courses at Patlan Elementary in Seguin. She had a passion for helping young people find their love of learning and worked hard to reach her students on whatever level they related to, spending many hours researching, and ingesting the many ways people learn and retain. She was also a bookkeeper for an oil company in New Mexico and did lab testing at the old textile mill in New Braunfels, Tx. She also co-owned Wilder's Grocery, along with her husband Jim, in San Marcos, Tx.

She was also a woman of faith, quiet and personal faith, but dedicated faith. Not a day went by that she missed her favorite Joel Osteen program. She let her faith guide her, never preaching it, just choosing to live by example in grace and love. One of the ways she expressed her faith was giving her time and money to too many charities to list here. She researched them thoroughly to give wisely. In Alice, while raising her children and teaching at the high school, she made certain that even in the busyness of life, she found the time to give back by participating in the Meals on Wheels program through the Presbyterian church. She demonstrated the teachings of Jesus in her own life firmly believing "It is more blessed to give than to receive".

As the loving and graceful woman she was, she acted as a caretaker for her husband Jim while he was in Alzheimer care. In over a decade she never missed a day of visiting, ensuring he was taken care of and fed. After Jim's passing, she continued to attend the Alzheimer support group to share her experience in an effort to pass along any wisdom she had gained and act as a shoulder for others to lean on.

She was a voracious reader. The family is pretty sure she read over a million books in her lifetime. Some people have favorite movies they watch over and over again. Alma Rae had favorite books she would read over and over. When she found a book she thought someone else would take pleasure in reading, she freely gave the book to them so they too could share in the enjoyment.

Of all her passions, and she had a plethora, her very favorite was her family. She loved a full house of chaos, laughter, and the smell of good food. She would accept any excuse to have a get together and adored a random stop in. She was a matriarch, loving to watch her family grow and grow up. She made sure to attend volleyball games and various sporting events. She would take the grandkids on school clothes shopping sprees, help rehearse lines for a play, chat politics or absolutely any topic that inspired thought and provoked good conversation. She made sure she told you how much she loved you every time you got to talk whether in person or on the phone. Her hugs were strong and tight. Alma Rae was a compassionate spirit, always there to provide love, support, and sage advice. Whatever she did, she did it with her whole heart and a very dedicated mind. Alma Rae was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother and she will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers, Alma Rae loved to share with many worthy charities. If you so choose, please send a donation to one of your favorite charities in Alma Rae's name.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, July 25, 2021 at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home in New Braunfels, Texas.  Please join us to honor Alma Rae's Life.

Please sign the guestbook at www.doeppenschmidtfuneralhome.com