Martha Denise Soppe's Obituary
Martha Denise Soppe, 71, of Kilgore passed away on Tuesday, November 18, 2025. She was born on January 14, 1954, in Greenwood, Mississippi , lived her early years in Plaquemine, Louisiana and then moved to Hallsville in 1963. Denise spent all of her childhood years in Hallsville, graduating from Hallsville High School, then moved back to Mississippi to begin her college education at Ole Miss. She went on to pursue her undergraduate education at Southwest Texas State and UT Tyler, and later earned two master’s degrees from TCU in Psychology and Sociology. Denise worked at East Texas Council of Governments, taught Special Education in the Rockwall Heath High School, and was a Landman at Buffco Production after moving back to East Texas. She enjoyed tennis, reading, traveling, and loved to listen to music. Denise was known for her “big heart” and her children were the center of her life.
Those left to cherish her memories are her children, James Soppe, Daisy (Matt ) Smith, Coletin (Liz) Soppe, Tracy (Bobby) Ball, Shannon Stamper and treasured grandchildren, Violet, Fiona, and Liam Smith, Caley and Brendon Ball, Alexandra Hutchison and Austin Stamper. Surviving siblings include Tommy (Sharon) Bufkin, and Frank (Suzi) Bufkin. She will also be missed by her beloved nieces and nephews and a number of friends and family. Denise was preceded in death by husbands James Rodney Willis and Bernard James Soppe, son James Frank Willis, and parents Anne and Frank Bufkin (whom she considered her hero and protector).
Graveside services will be held at 10 am on Friday, November 21, 2025, at Hallsville Cemetery in Hallsville, TX.
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