Stella Ruth Brinkley, 98, of Palm City, Florida, passed away on January 8, 2019 at Martin Memorial Medical Center in Stuart, Florida.  Born in Shutesbury, Massachusetts, she had been a resident of Palm City for 15 years.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1941, she enlisted into the United States Army . She served as a First Lieutenant and was a dietician for a military hospital in Ardmore, Oklahoma. It was there she met her future husband, William Brinkley, a B17 pilot. They were married in 1945 and were stationed at Air Force bases in Gulfport Mississippi, Japan, Warner Robins, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina and Patrick AFB, Florida .

Her husband ultimately retired from the Air Force and joined NASA and they settled the family in Lake Pickett, Florida.  There, they enjoyed all the benefits of raising their family in a country setting on a lake with plenty of room for family and friends.

Stella taught third grade in nearby Oviedo for a few years in the 1960's but she primarily enjoyed being a homemaker.

After her husband's retirement from NASA, they relocated to Eustis Florida, living there during the winter.  Their summers were spent golfing, hiking and enjoying the mountains with family and friends at their cabin in Linville, North Carolina.

In 2003, they relocated to Palm City to be closer to their daughter and her husband and children .

Stella was a member of Palm City Presbyterian Church.

Survivors include her daughter, Tina Boswell and her husband Bill of Palm City; her brother, Walt Maisner of Deerfield, MA and her grandchildren, Kelly Boswell of Stuart and Matthew Boswell of Deland, FL, Lisa Brinkley and Lucas Brinkley of Indianland, SC. She was predeceased in death by her husband, William A Brinkley and sons, Chris Brinkley and William Keith Brinkley.

There will be a memorial service at 2:00 PM on Saturday, January 19, 2019 at Palm City Presbyterian Church.  Interment will be in Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Florida with Military Honors provided by the U.S. Army.

For those who wish, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 865 SE Monterey Commons Boulevard, Stuart, FL 34996 or online at www.cancer.org or to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, 4100 SW Leighton Farm Avenue, Palm City, FL 34990, 772-600-3203 or online at www.humanesociety-tc.org in Stella's memory.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Forest Hills Funeral Home Palm City.