Rachel Joy "RJ" Stanford, age 19, died on July 4, 2022, in Springdale, Arkansas, born in Denver, Colorado on November 26, 2002, to Rodney and Dawn (Timboe) Stanford.

Dear RJ – you came into our world as a true gift of God – a wonderful, early Thanksgiving Day present. At an early age, we began to notice what was perhaps your greatest attribute: a true heart of service and compassion. Over the years, there were many times you would go, fearlessly and unprompted, to help someone in need. Oftentimes, right in the middle of Walmart or Target!

Some other adjectives that best described you:

• Independent. You always marched to the beat of a different drum. We adored your free spirit!
• Investigator. You loved to gather information on a wide range of topics and impart your findings, and draw us into topics we never knew we were interested in!
• Debater. Wow, could you ever handle yourself in a debate! At times, we admired your skill for healthy discourse. Other times, we wished you weren't so acutely proficient in this area!
• Defender. You were a champion of those who you felt were marginalized. Your passionate love and protection for animals of all shapes and sizes was a vivid testament to this.
• Sharp-witted. You had such an intelligent, quirky, and unpredictable sense of humor. You always kept us on our toes, and we think you quite enjoyed that!
• Joyful. You brought a whimsical, child-like nature to the world around you.

How deeply we miss you. Our souls ache and our hearts break. We are coming to grips with the stark reality that we won't see you again, at least not down here. It does not seem real, but we have hope. When the time is right, we will see you again one day. And we can hardly wait.

Love, Dad and Mom

RJ is preceded in death by grandfather Melvin Stanford, and uncle Ron Drake.

RJ is survived by both parents; sister, Rebecca Vick, and her husband Jacob of Fayetteville, Arkansas; grandmother, Christine Stanford of Siloam Springs, Arkansas; grandparents, Harold and Donna Timboe of Bentonville, Arkansas, along with a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and other extended family.

Memorial service will be held at Christian Life Cathedral in Fayetteville at 2pm on Monday, July 11, 2022. All are welcome.

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to:

Compassion International

https://www.compassion.com/ways-to-donate.htm

Paws & Claws Pet Shelter

https://www.thepetshelter.org/